262 
Wheat and its cultivation. 
tiller as well. One and a half bushels per 
acre, is the least that should be sown, while 
of the former, one and a quarter bushels is 
the quantity usually sown. Unlike the im¬ 
proved flint, too, it shells very easily, and un¬ 
less secured when quite green, it suffers much 
loss in harvesting. 
The English velvet heard, or Crate wheat, 
has a strong, coarse straw, large heads, a 
good berry of a reddish hue, and is much 
cultivated on the rich alluvial bottoms of the 
Genesee Valley, its peculiarly firm straw 
preventing its lodging. It is a fair yielder, and 
tolerably hardy, but its redundant beards are 
a great objection to its general introduction 
on lighter lands. 
The Bellevue Talavera , (English,) has been 
cultivated by General H. for two seasons, 
from imported seed. The first year it was 
plump and fine, but the present year, it is 
somewhat shrunk. It was sown thin, and 
was consequently late, which was the cause 
of rust, and subsequently shrinking. It has a 
heavy, large and white berry, and the heads 
are peculiarly large and fine, being equal to 
the choicest specimens of any other kinds. 
In England, it ripens early, and in conse¬ 
quence of its heavy head, it bends the straw 
very much, which however, does not prevent 
its perfectly maturing the grain. In this 
country, it produces a stiff straw, and main¬ 
tains an upright position. 
The White Provence produces a long, white 
plump berry, is a fair yielder, but has a slen¬ 
der straw, which is the cause of its frequent¬ 
ly lodging. Like the improved flint, it is 
quite possible that careful cultivation may 
alter this peculiarity, and hereafter furnish a 
stalk sufficiently strong to sustain it. 
The Yorkshire or English Flint, or as it is 
more generally known in Western New York, 
the Soules ’ Wheat , resembles in its general 
characteristics, the old Genesee wheat before 
mentioned. The heads are long, berry white 
and plump, and being a new variety, it has 
done very well since its introduction into 
the country, some five years since. 
The Scotch Potato Oat which has been cul¬ 
tivated by General H., for some time, he con¬ 
siders a valuable variety. It has grown to 
the height of six feet and nine inches, and 
not unfrequently averages six feet on good, 
strong soil. The stalk is strong, and the 
head full and heavy. Its weight has ave¬ 
raged 44 lbs. to the bushel, for the last five 
years; 50 bushels per acre by measurement, 
he considers its average yield, though six 
acres have averaged 76 bushels per acre. 
He considers this a decided improvement over 
the ordinary oat. His system of cultivating 
this crop, is to sow after corn or potatoes, 
which have been well manured. 
The system of wheat cultivation generally 
adopted in Western New York, is this. The 
wheat is sown in a clover turf, or summer 
fallow, from the 10th to 15th September. 
The quantity of seed is usually one and a 
quarter bushels per acre. Sowing a larger 
quantity produces a finer straw, with shorter 
heads, and earlier maturity, but does not, on 
the whole, afford a greater yield. If sown 
earlier than the time above specified, it is 
liable to the attack of the Hessian fly. This 
is an insect that appears at all seasons, con¬ 
triving to get its living from other sources, 
when wheat is not to be found, but particu¬ 
larly productive and abundant when this 
crop comes forward early in the fall. The 
grain worm has not yet infested the fields in 
the western part of our state. If sown later 
than 15th September, it does not root as 
well, thereby exposing it much more to win¬ 
ter killing, and it does not tiller as well, by 
which it matures later, and is more liable to 
rust. The wheat ripens from the 7th to 
‘27th July, averaging from the 15th to 20th ; 
and it should be cut as soon as out of the 
milk, when the berry yields easily to the 
pressure of the thumb and finger. As good 
a wheat crop as was ever raised at the west, 
was produced in the uniformly cold season 
of 1816. It is probable that the superior 
wheat of England is owing to the longer time 
required to ripen it, by which, the berry is 
enabled to fill up more moderately, but much 
more effectually. Our warmer summers, on 
the contrary, push it forward so rapidly, that 
it does not have time to mature so large, full 
and complete a grain. 
Before sowing, the seed should be washed 
in strong brine, which may soon be turn¬ 
ed off and a quart of lime to every bushel 
is then added, and intimately mixed. After 
standing a few hours, say 12 to 24, it should 
be sown. When very smutty, the wheat 
should receive three thorough washings in 
strong brine, and lime as before, and this has 
been found effectual in securing the future 
crop from smut. Hatch’s machine is used 
to some extent in sowing wheat, and all other 
kinds of grain broadcast, as also plaster. 
With this a boy will sow about 20 acres a 
day, and more evenly than can be done by 
the most experienced sower. It costs $40, 
and is easily kept in repair. The seed does 
better by changing, and especially from poor 
lands to richer, and as the land General H. 
cultivates, was once oak openings, which, but 
