140 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 



0. 



For lie New Gcnetcc Ftn-mer. 



Crops of 1811 in East BlooniUeiil. 



Messrs. Editors — It ig gelling so fashionable to 

 write of the crops nnd harvest, that we can scarcely 

 tuke iip a paper, cither poliiicdl, reiigioua or agricul- 

 tural, but we find a column henJr i the "Crops;" 

 onJ such are the contradictory and extravagant state- 

 ments given, that it is coming to ho almost as neces- 

 sary to inquire whether ihe writer be not a consum- 

 er, interesLed in representing the crops as euperabund- 

 aat in order to lower the price, or a prnc!u"er wishing 

 a round price for his surplus commodities — na in 

 reading a political article to enquire to which party 

 the writer belongs. As the public feeling has be- 

 come somewhat calmed, now that the harvest is past, 

 and the true state of the ca^e is becoming more and 

 more apparent, I rnay be lees 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 1834 up to last year. Last 

 year our crops were sa uniformly good, and ao much 

 was said of the cropa everywhere, that it seemed 

 irksoma to repeat the story. 



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

 Whatever may be said o( other sections of the coun- 

 trp, wheat has not been so universally poor for many 

 yaars. The cause I believe to be the same ihroiigh- 

 out ths country. Our farmers were very forward 

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

 August, under tho impression that early sowed wheat 

 is mticli the surest. The fall growth was good, al- 

 though a few pieces of very early sowed shewed the 

 ravages of insects. The winter was as favorable as 

 usual. The lat'er part of April and the month of 

 May were trying months. Freezing niglils and thaw- 

 ing days with dry and cold winds, continued for so 

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

 Bufiicient to destroy every vestige of winter grain, and 

 aim 1st preclude tho possibility of sowing any spring 

 ercpa. 



As we are liable to such seasons, nnd have our 

 wheat more or less injured every spring, it becomes a 

 matter of interesting inquiry in what manner we can 

 best guard against them. ProtecUm, whether by 

 hills, forests, orchards, or even fences, is the most af- 

 ficient guarantee against cold chilly winds, which dry 

 up the life of the ■t.'hest and prevent that thrown out 

 by frosts from taking root again. Eaily sowing on 

 land under thorough cultivation, thereby giving the 

 r«ots firm hold of the soil, is next in order to protec- 

 tion, and more under the control of the farmer. — 

 Draining all surface water is of the utmost import 

 ■lice. A regular rotation of croiis, inosn.uch as the 

 UhJ is thereby supplied with the requisite nourish- 

 ment for the cri p, is of more consequence than usu- 

 ally imagined. The skimiing system of cropping 

 with wi'.eat every other year, so very generally pursu- 

 ed among us, is the lerat calculated to endure such 

 seasons, and has in the present crop received u most 

 itarfu' rtbuke. 



Ot the kinds of wheal, litde discrimination can be 

 made in such nnpropitious seasons. The quality is 

 good, and the yield will be greater in proportion to 

 tb« itraw. There has I ee i much comnlainl of irsects 

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

 have seen no appearance of the wheat worm which 

 eoidd be found so plentiful three or four years 

 6:nc3. Smut and rust we have generally escaped this 

 sawon — but stein craut has made most rapid advanccc 

 upon us. His darkened path may be tra-jcd through 

 the length nnd breadth ef the town, and some fields 

 he has tliia year appropriated exclusively to himself. 



Beside this prince of thieves, we have a new en- 

 emy to oontend with, which, from its rapid strides, , 

 we have reason to f«ar will outstrip all others in des- 



troying our wheat crops. I mean couch tr quack 

 gi-asf. If this is the worst weed the English farmer 

 has to contend with, it must he still worse for us, as 

 we have no cheap laborers to spare for hand- weeding. 



Spring wheat promises to be a fair crop. The sca- 

 stn was v/aa so backward that but little was sown 



Barley was also unfutunale in its seeding time. — 

 What little I have seen promises an ordinary yield. 



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

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

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

 ground was moist enough surely. It is generally 

 supposed that seasons like the present ere not good 

 for oats, yet the crop is with us more than ordinarily 

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

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

 indeed short, but the heads are of good length and 

 well filled. What is remarkable they all stood up 

 well, tWre acarccly having been a severe rain storm 

 since they were sown. 



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

 eon for corn, and some fields cf sarly planted will 

 come olTvery fine. In general the drought has injur- 

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

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

 being now much sirivelled and dried up. The 

 amount raised will I think be less than usual. 



Gr«ss.— This is our poorest crop. Less has been 

 cut and less pasture for our stock than we have had 

 for many years. The pro.«pcct is now ihat fall feeds 

 will be s-arce and we shall have to feed our cattle 

 from our barns unless we have rains soon. 



Potatoes and all root crops have suffered severely 

 by the drought, and if we get any it wdl be from 

 early planting. Rohans I think will lose in reputn- 

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

 twenty bushels plaming, instead of twenty and thirty 

 btuhels from a pock of seed, it will be because they 

 are better than they look to be. 



Euclavheat. — 1 have seen none growing. 



Pens are generally said to be good, although J think 

 they will not he found to yield well. 



Wool. — The quantity of wool grown in town is 

 constantly increasing, and is second to no crop except 

 wheat. It has this year been ready sales at fair 

 prices. 



Fruits of all kinds are in more than usual abund- 

 ance; and although we are short in a f«vr imporlant 

 crops we hars abundant reasons for gratitude for the 

 prosperity which hath snended the toil of the hus- 

 band.man. Yours, &.c. 



ADAM3. 



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



Twelve VnrieJies of Whect, 

 Gen. R. Harmon, Jr. of Wheatland, has for sere- 

 rcl years past cultivated many different varieties of 

 wheat, v;ith a view to test their relaiive value, or 

 adaptedncas to our toil and climate. At our request 

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

 • trawand grain of twelve distinct kiuds.raised by him 

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

 ties was imported from England last year by Mr. Bale- 

 ham; but the past winter and spring being un- 

 usually severe for wheal, several of these kinds were 

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

 not be considered decisive proof that they will nol 

 endure our ordinary winters; for many cases might 

 be found where common varieties were almost entire- 

 ly destroyed tho past season The experimonts of 

 Gen. H. are valuable however, and he will please ac- 

 cept our thanks for the samples and the following pa- 

 per which accompanied them. 



For the I^ew Genesee Farmer. 

 Mr. M. B. BATf.iiAM~The following /s a list ofj 

 the names and a shun description of the twelve varie- 



S..1 



ITK 

 (Hi? 



H 



(ill 



i0 

 fit 



■j H^ 



jitii 



lilllBi 

 »>■ 



Iff; 







n 



liiC 



An: 



jta 



ties of wheat, samples of which I have left at i 

 Seed Store: 



No. 1, Tcsciw. This variety was introduced inl i 

 this town four or five yeara ago, by Abram Hanfori j |, ^ 

 The seed I believe waa imported. It has large atra^ 

 chalVwhite, bald; groin large and while, ripens alii 

 tie later than the common Flint. I have tried ito) 

 difierent_ soils, but it appears too liable to injure b| 

 frost for profitable culiiralion in this climate: siiUj 

 may possibly become acclimated bo as to be a valuabj ^ 

 variety. 



No. 2, TuscAS Bearded. This variety was fouu 

 mixed with No. 1, but is very different from it in ap 

 pearance. The straw is very large, with long beade 

 chaff white, with a long stiff beard; grain large an^^ 

 handsome. It appears to bo less hardy than tho prei „., 

 ceding; more than two-thirds of it being dcslroyc 

 by frost with mo tie piat two seasons. 



No. 3, Virginia White May. This variety wa 

 introduced from Virginia, and is said to be the kin* 

 of which the Virginia flour is made, which stands w 

 high in the markets. The straw resemble ihalofthj 

 White Flint, but is rather lighter. Chafl'while, bald 

 grain very short and run nd, of a reddish cast, some 

 what flinty. It weighed last season sixty six pound '^ 

 to the bushel; ripens about a week earlier than tbi 

 White Flint; endures the winters well, bul has si 

 fered more from the drouth this year than most othil 

 varieties. 



No. 4, ViKoisii BsARDED. This variety I obtaini 

 ed from No 3, by sowing it in the spring. Head larg^ 

 and heavy, chafT white, with very sllffbeard which 

 consider an objection to it. 



No. 5, WiiiiATLiND Red, obtained in the eami 

 manner as No. 4. Straw large, heads rather short biM !<'i 

 heavy; chaif red, buld; grain reddish; has the ap) 

 pearance of yielding well, and is very hardy. 



No. 6, C'oMMus V/iiiTE Flint. This name was 

 probably given from its white Mraw and white flint; 

 grain. Heads short; chaft' white, bald; grain ver; 

 while and flinty with thin bran, and yields flour of su 

 psrior quality. It ia more generally cultivated tfaa> 

 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 anj' otbc 

 kind I am acquainted with. 



No. 7, l.vPRoviD White Flixt, Selected froD' 

 among No. 6, and resembles that kind, but the head 

 are larger and the giain not as flinty; makea very sii 

 perior, flour and a greater qiiantiiy per bushel than an 

 other kind within my knowledge. (Gen. H.ba* 

 left seed of this variety at the Seed Store for ealo 

 —Eds.) 



No. 8, White Provehce. This was imported fronn 

 France. I obtained it at the Rochester Seed Siorei 

 and have raised it two years. The Straw is emalle 

 than any of the varieties I have cnliivatcd, grow 

 thick and is apt to lodge. Heads large; chaff brown 

 bald or with short beards near the upper end; graii 

 white, very largo and fine, and has the appearance o 

 yielding flour well. 



No. 9, Peoglesham. This is an English varietj! 

 importedlastyear fur thcRochestei Seed Store. Straw 

 short and bright; heads very close set and heavy; chi^i 

 white, bald; grain white and fine. This variety ip 

 considerably injured by frost, and I doubt whether it' 

 will prove sufiicienlly hardy to be valuable here. 



No. 10, Eci.irsz, From the same source as No. 9. 

 Ingrowth nnd appearance this vaiiely resembles cur 

 Red Chaff Bald, but the grain is a darker red. It 

 does not stand the winters as well as some other va- 

 rieties. 



No. 11, Golden Drop. Imported the same as tho 

 last two. Resembles the White Flint in growth and 

 ppcarance; hsad larger; grain reddish, laige, with 



