PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 335 



A SUBSTITUTE FOR WHEAT. 



Solon Robinson read the following letter from C. "W. Carpenter, 

 of Mt. Gilead, Ohio : 



From an article in the Weekly Tribune of Jan. 26, it is clearly 

 established that the wheat crop east of Illinois is gradually 

 diminishing, while the prairie soils west and northwest must 

 finally cease to yield remunerating crops, and I add, must always 

 be uncertain, owing to the unprotection of the country from the 

 fierceness and intensity of climatic changes. The population 

 doubles in ratio every twenty years ; and the production of wheat 

 does not begin to keep pace with the demand, notwithstanding 

 the opening of millions of acres of new land annually. It is use- 

 less to talk of resuscitating old lands with expensive manures, 

 while we can raise wheat on new lands so much cheaper without 

 manures. Then what shall we eventually do ? Draw the supply 

 from abroad? this, if practicable, would be ruinous. At any 

 rate it is desirable to begin to look about us for some better sub- 

 stitute than ryQ or corn, which is a more certain and profitable 

 crop than wheat. Now comes the gist of the whole matter : Some 

 four or five years ago, the Hon. John Sherman sent me a small 

 package marked " Spring Barley from Italy." I raised it two 

 years, and then let my neighbor, D. C. Bingham, have it to experi- 

 ment with; this year he has raised 36 bushels; it weighs over 

 60 lbs. to the bushel ; has no husk like the common barley, but 

 is smooth like wheat ; it must be sown very early in the spring, 

 and I think it is as certain, and will yield as well as oats — cer- 

 tainly better than rye or wheat ; it has always been sown very 

 thin on the ground, in order to increase it as fast as possible. 

 It makes as white, nice flour, and white and as light bread as 

 wheat ; it cannot be distinguished from wheat bread only it is 

 sweeter and more palatable. It is certainly the best substitute 

 for wheat known, and I look for the time wjien it will be pretty 

 generally substituted for wheat, particularly where wheat cannot 

 be profitably grown. If this information shall benefit the future 

 bread-eating and fire-eating population of this country, as I cer- 

 tainly believe it will, they are thrice welcome. 



C. W. CARPENTER, 



Mount Gilead, Ohio. 

 Mr. Fuller said that the same grain was grown in Western New 

 York over twenty years ago, and was much liked ; but why its 

 culture was not kept up he could not say. 



