140 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



\'0L. 2. 



ror (*e !feu Genctee f'armtr. 



Crops of 18^11 in EaM UloomfielU. 



Messrs. Editors — It ia getting so raibioiiablc to 

 write of ibe crops oncl harvest, that we can ecarcels^ 

 taUe up a paper, cither political, religious or ngricul- 

 tiirol, but we find a column heaji J the "Crops;" 

 end eucli are the co;itrndictory and extravagant etato- 

 menta given, that it is coining to be almost os neces- 

 aary to inquire whether the writer he not a coneuni- 

 «r, interested in representing the crops as superabund- 

 oat in order to lower the price, or a producer wishing 

 n round price lor his surplus commodities — as in 

 reading a political article to enquire to which party 

 the writer belongs. As the public feelii:^ has be- 

 come somewhat calmed, now that the harvest is past, 

 and the true stale of the ca.se is becoming more and 

 more apparent, 1 may be le&s liable to the imputation 

 of an interested writer, if I continue the record of the 

 crops in this town. In the Old Genesee Farmer, the 

 record is continued from \S'S\ up to last year. Last 

 year our crops were so uniformly good, and so much 

 waa ssid of the crops everywhere, that it seemed 

 irksiinie to repeat the story. 



Wheat, our staple crop, is decidedly a failure. — 

 Whatever may be said ol other sections of the coun- 

 trp, wheat has not been so universally poor for many 

 years. The cause I brdieve to be the eame through- 

 ou! the couniry. Oiir farmers were very forward 

 with their sowing last fall — much of it being done in 

 August, under the impression that early sowed wheat 

 ia maca the svirest. The fill growth was good, al- 

 ih iM^h a few pieces of very early sowed shewed the 

 ravages of insects. The winter was as favorable as 

 usual. The latier part of April and the month of 

 May were tryiui; months. Freezing nights and thaw- 

 ing days with div antl old vviiids, continued for so 

 long a time as we had them, last spring, would seem 

 euflisient to destroy every vestige of winter grain, and 

 aim ist preclude the possibility of sowing any spring 

 eri\ia. 



As we are liable to ouch sensana, and have our 

 wheat more or leas injured every spring, it becomes a 

 matter ol interesting inquiry in what manner we can 

 best guard agninit them. Protccti )n, whether by 

 bills, lorosls, orchards, or even fences, is the most «f- 

 fioieni guarantee against cold chilly winds, which dry 

 up the life of the f.'heat and prevent that thrown out 

 by frosts from taking root ogain. Early sowing on 

 land under thorough cultivation, thereby giving the 

 roots firm bold of the soil, is next in order to protee- 

 llon, and more under the control of tiie farmer. — 

 Draining all surface water is of the utmost import 

 ance. A regular rotation of ciope, inasmuch as the 

 land is thereby supplied with the requisite nourish- 

 ment for the cr.ip, ia of more consequence than uau- 

 o'.ly imagined. The skinning system of cropping 

 with wheat every other ycor, so very generally pursu- 

 ed among us, is the lecat calculated to endure such 

 etascns, and Las in the present crop received u most 

 fearfu' rebuke. 



O! the kinds of wheol, little discrimination can he 

 made in such unpropitious seasons. The quality is 

 g-.od, and the yield will be greater in proportion to 

 the straw. There linsi eo i nuich complaint of insects 

 tu many fields that were injured by the spring— but I 

 have e-een no appearance of the wheat worm which 

 CDuld b« found so plentiful three or four years 

 sinco. Smut ani rust we have generally escaped this 

 eeason — but stein craut has made most rapid ndvanccE 

 upon U3. His darkeiu'd path may be traced through 

 t'le length and breadth sf the town, and some fields 

 he has this year appropriated cxclnsive'y to himeell. 



Beside ihisprinco of thieves, we have a new en 

 emv 10 coni<-rd with, which, from its rapid stride.-, 

 wc have reason to fear will outstrip oil others in des- 



troying our wheat crops. I mean couch cr quack 

 grass. If this is the worst weed the English farmer 

 has to eanteud with, it must be still worse for us, ns 

 we hove no cheap laoorers to spare for hand-v.'teding. 



Spring wheat promiecs to be a fair crop. The sea- 

 ion »vae was so backward that but little was sown 

 • Barley was also unfortunate in its seeding time. — 

 What little I have seen promises an ordinary yield. 



Oats. — !t used to be an old proverb, sow flax in the 

 fire ond oats in the mire. If therefore the proverb is 

 good for any thing, we ought to have good oats as the 

 ground was moist enough surely. It is generally 

 supposed that seasons like the present are not pood 

 for osta, yet the crop is with ua more than ordinarily 

 we get. During the month of June, they looked as 

 if going to head out before half grown. Tite straw is 

 indeed thort, but the heads are of good length and 

 well Slled. What it remarkable they all stood up 

 well, iliere icarcely having been a severe rain atorm 

 since theyi'ere sown. 



Corn. — On some accounto this has been a good sea- 

 son for corn, and some fields of early planted will 

 come off fery fine. In general the drought has injur- 

 ed the growth and will prevent its being well filled. — 

 The prospect is that it will be early ripe. The stalks 

 being now much shrivelled ond dried up. The 

 amount raised will I think be less than usual. 



Grass. — This is our poorest crop. Less has been 

 cut asd Ices pasture for our stock than we have had 

 for many years. The prospect is now that foil feeds 

 will be scarce and we shall have to feed our cattle 

 from our barns unless we have rains soon. 



Potatoes and all root crops have sufTered severely 

 by the drought, ond if we get any it will be froin 

 early planting. Rohans I think will lose in reputa- 

 tion, and if the order is not reversed, one peck from 

 twenty bushels plonting, instead of twenty ond thirty 

 bushels from o peck of seed, it will be because they 

 are better than they look to be. 



Buckwheat. — 1 have seen none growing. 



Peas are generally said to be good, although I think 

 they will not be found to yield well. 



Wool. — The quontity of wool grown in town is 

 constantly increasinj;, and is second to no crop except 

 wheat. It has this year been ready sales at fair 

 price?. 



Fruit.'; of all kinds are in more thon usual abund- 

 ance; and although wc are short in n l*w iniporlint 

 crops we k«»e sbunuiint refsnns for gratitude for the 

 prosperity which hath ii'ended the lull of the hus- 

 bandman. Yours, &c. 



ADAMS. 



r. Bloomfidd, OnL Co., Aug. 25, 1841. 



Twelve Vfirielie-s of Wheat. 



Gen. R. Harmon, Jr. of Wheotland, has for seve- 

 ral years past cultivated many difTerem varieties of 

 wheat, with a view to test their relotirc value, or 

 adaptedness to our soil and climate. At our request 

 lie has left at the Rochester Seed Store, samples, in 

 etrawsnd grain of twelve d.slinct kinds. raised by him 

 tlic past season. The seed of several of these varie- 

 ties was imported from Englnnd lost ycor by Mr. Bate- 

 ham; but the past winter and spring being un- 

 usually severe fir wheat, ecvernl of these kinds were 

 a good deal injured by frost. This, however, should 

 not be considered decisive proof that they will not 

 endure our ordinary winter.-!: for many eases might 

 be found where common varieties were olmost entire- 

 ly destroyed the pott season The experiments of 

 Gen. H. ore valuable however, and he will plc.os- on- 

 ypt our thanks for the samples ond the following pa- 

 per which occompanicd them. 



Kor the At'ir Gtnescc Fa. ,rier. 



Mr. M. B. Batkiiaj:— Tlie following is a list of 

 the names ond a short description of the twelve varie- 



ties of wheat, samples of which I have left et tba 

 Seed Store: 



No. I, TuscAK. This variety was introduced intol 

 this town four or five years ogo, by Abrom Ilnnford, 

 The seed I believe wo? imported. It has large atrawj^ 

 chafV while, bald; gro'n large and while, ripens a lit- 

 tle later thon the common Flint. I hove tried it onl 

 diflerent^^soils, but it oppears too liable to injure byl 

 frost for profitable ciiltiralion in this climate: still ill 

 may possibly become acclimated so as to be a valaable ' 

 variety. 



No. 2, Tcscix Bearded. This variety was found 

 mi.Ted with No. 1, but is very diU'eient from it in ap- 

 pearance. The straw is very large, with long beads; 

 chairwhite, with a long slilT beard; grain large ond 

 handfome. It appears to be less hardy than the pre- 

 ceding; more than two-thirds of it being dcstroj'ed 

 by frost with me tiie piet two fcneons. 



No. 3, ViRGiRiA Whits MiV. This variety wos 

 introduced from V'irginiii, ond is said to be the kind 

 of which the Virginia flour is made, which elands so 

 high in the markets. The atraw resemble that of the 

 White Flint, hut is rather lighter. Chaffwliite, bald; 

 grain very short and ronnd, of a reddish cost, some- 

 what flinty. It we ghed last season sixty si-x pounc's 

 10 the buihel; ripens about a week earlier than tho 

 White Flint; endures the winters well, but has suf- 

 fered more from the drouth ihis year than most other 

 varielicE. 



No. 4, Viroi.^iA Ebarded. This variety I obtain- 

 ed from No 3, by sowing it in the spring- Head large 

 and heavy, chaff while, with very stifl beard which I 

 consider an objection to it. 



No. 5, Wheatla?!!! Red, obtained in the some 

 manner as No. 4. Straw large, heads rather short but 

 heavy; cLaff red, bald; grain redilith; has tlio ap- 

 pearance of yielding well, and is very hardy. 



No. 6, CoM.MoN White Fli.vt. This name was 

 probably given from its white »trnw and while flinty 

 grain. Heads short; chaff while, bald; grain very 

 white and flinly with thin bran, ond yields fiour of sr- 

 perior quality. It ia moie generally cultivated than 

 any other kind in this county, but the seed can Eel- 

 dom be obtained pure. It is a very hardy variety, 

 being more seldom injured by frost than any other 

 kind I om acquainted with. 



No. 7, iMfRovin Whits Flist, Selected from 

 among No. 6, and rt scmblee that kind, hut the heads 

 are lorgerond the grain not as flinty; makes verytu- 

 perior, flour and o greoler qiinntity per bushel than ony 

 other kind within my knowledge. (Gen. II. has 

 left seed of this variety at the Seed Store for sole. 

 — Eds.) 



No. 8, WiiiTK PcovE.tcB. This was imported from 

 France. I obuiined it at the Rochester Seed Store, 

 and hove raised it two years. The Straw is smaller 

 thon any of the varieties I have cultivated, grows 

 thick ond is apt to lodge. Heodslatgs; chaffbrown, 

 bald or with short beardf near the upper end; grain 

 while, very large and fine, and hos the appearance of 

 yielding flour well. 



No. 9, Peggi.esh-vm. This is on English variety 

 imported lost year for the Rocheatei Seed Store. Straw 

 short ond bright; heads very close rel ond heovy; ch^lf 

 white, bold; groin white ond fine. This variety » 

 coiioidorobly injured by frost, ond I doubt whether it 

 will prove sulljciently hardy to be vulnable here. 



No. 10, Eclipse, From the same source osNo. 9. 

 Ingrowth ond appearnuce ihiS voiieiy resembles our 

 Red Cboir Bald, but the grain ia a darker red. It 

 doss not stand ihe winters as well os some other vn- 

 lietiea. 



No. 11, Goi.DF.x Drop. Imported the same os the 



lost tw.i. Resembles the White Flint in growth ond 



pprorance; heed larger; grain rctldish, large, with 



