80 



THE WHEAT CELTTJIilST. 



IxTEODrCTIOX OF ItALL^^s ^HEAT. 



In the volume of Transactions of the Xew York State 

 AgTiciiltui'al Society for ISll. Jar Hathewav, Oneida 

 Conntv. Xew York, has recorded facts touching the 

 introduction of this variety of wheat, from which the 

 following extracts are taken : The Italian spring wheat 

 possesses a property which no other variety of this kind 

 of oTain can claim — that of o-rowino- well and vieldinoj 

 a fair crup of grain upon land so poor, that no other 

 variety will succeed satisfactorily. On inferior land, 

 tAvelve to iifteen Iju-hels uf good D-rain have been grown 

 per acre. On g.jOLl grtimnd. thirty bushels per acre have 

 been grown : and on the Viest wheat laud the yield has 

 reached from forty to fifty bushels per acre. The orig- 

 inal seed weighed, sixty-three pounds per bushel ; and the 

 first crop was sown in this country in 1S32. 



This kind of wheat has a bright lemon-colored straw, 

 which gives the entire crop a beautiful appearance when 

 the wheat is growing. Tlie kernels have a tli'n skin of 

 a bright brown color : and fi'om a given C[uantity of 

 grain, m^jre fiour may be obtained than from any other 

 kind of grain grown in this country. The fioni' makes 

 excellent bread : and some have stated that flour made 

 of this kind of wheat contains more gluten than other 

 kinds of fiom\ It is said that in Italy the manufac- 

 turers of macaroni prefer this kind of wheat for making 

 this article of food. 



'* This kind of wheat was first introduced into this 

 conntry by a gentleman from Tlorence, in Italy, who, 

 marrying contrary to the wishes of his father, was 

 denounced and disinherited: and smarting mider the 

 severity and reproaches of an incensed parent, he re- 



