996 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[October, 
of my farm, if I had begun to use this article, ten 
years ago. But we must all live to learn. 
Yours to command, 
Hookerlowit , Ct., Sep. 1860 ] Timothy Bunker, Esq. 
-«*-.-—-» —- 
Wheat and Chess—Once More. 
$500 REWARD. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
I’ve been aching for more than thirty years, to 
give editors of agricultural journals ‘fits,’ for you 
are the most arrogant chaps, we farmers have 
anything to do with. Just look how you treat us 
on the old chess question. “You are tired of it 
then to settle it, you launch off into learned names 
of some authorities, no farmer knows of, and 
treat them to a dish of Bromus Secalina, and in¬ 
sinuations of the silly notions of “ common people,” 
intimating that farmers don’t know enough to 
last them up a short hill. You call for speci¬ 
mens, when they affirm their experience of hav¬ 
ing seen the fact of Chess and Wheat growing 
together, as if we were either liars, or were in¬ 
capable of judging of what we see. Now I’ve 
lived some sixty three years, and once in that 
time I have seen a head of wheat and a sprangle 
(as we call it) of chess growing on one stalk, in 
the then Territmy of Michigan, and showed it to 
many of my neighbors, men and women, well able 
to judge of what they saw, common as they might 
be. I also in that same Territory, saw chess 
growing on more than a dozen stalks of flax, and 
having some seven or eight hands hoeing corn 
on my land at the time, I called them to witness 
the fact. Some of those men are now living, 
good men and true, and reminded me of it two 
years ago when I was there on a visit. Again, 
fifteen years ago, when I first settled here, a 
brother-in-law of mine broke up ten acres of new 
land, part prairie, part barrens; on one side, 
about six rods from the edge of said lot, ran an 
old road, which didn’t get broken much with the 
rest, being hard. He sowed the plumpest, clean¬ 
est wheat I ever saw, on said lot. The result 
was an abundant crop of beautiful wheat, ex¬ 
cepting the said strip of road, of some eight feet 
wide and forty rods long—which was chess, 
stout enough to bear up a cradle. Now sir, you 
may call chess by any name you choose, but it 
went explain how that strip of chess came where 
clean wheat was sown the previous season. 
There was no chess in the wheat on either side 
of the said road. This fact was witnessed by 
some of the best farmers in the town, and many 
of them are here now, and often speak of it. I 
dont say wheat turns to, or is transmuted to chess, 
for I think I can explain it upon the principles of 
natural science ; but that wasn’t the object of 
the present article. It was to get up a little 
modesty in editors of agricultural papers, and 
prevent their squirtations of so much learned 
dyestuff into the eyes of old eye witnesses of 
what said editors deem a delusion. What in the 
name of common sense, can Bromus Secalina 
have to do with the fact of the appearance of 
chess where wheat was sown : Then to call for 
specimens as though you, because you are an edi¬ 
tor had any better senses than observing farmers. 
Now sir, I believe in book farming and read all 
l can get hold of on the subject, have taken an¬ 
other agricultural paper and yours in ’57, and my 
son takes yours now—and I another paper ; but I 
don’t believe all you together can see a stalk of 
wheat and chess growing in company on the same 
stem more sure than I or any other old or young 
farmer, though we may be common folks. 
Kane Co., III. John R. Robinson. 
Remarks. —Mr. Robinson must feel better now, 
after having “ spoken his mind.” His bile has 
rather overflowed and run down into his ink a 
little, but we are too benevolent to withhold a 
letter, the insertion of which will alleviate an 
“ aching of more than thirty years’ standing,” 
and we shall try not to personally appropriate 
any of those “ fits.” We don’t know what agri¬ 
cultural editors he is driving at, as, with few ex¬ 
ceptions, our acquaintances among the fraternity 
are very modest men ; and it could not well be 
otherwise. It is the universal rule, that while ‘a 
little knowledge is a dangerous thing,’ because it 
puffs a man up, and makes him “arrogant,” a good 
deal of knowledge makes a man humblG. Agri¬ 
cultural editors devote their chief attention to 
gathering knowledge from a wide field of obser¬ 
vation, and they ought to be, and we believe gen¬ 
erally are, far from “ arrogant.” Is not Mr. R. 
a little arrogant in assuming to speak for all the 
“common people 1” We have a strong admira¬ 
tion for that class—those possessed of common 
sense, and have flattered ourselves until this day 
that we were born and brought up among them. 
In the article overhauled by Mr. R , we did quote 
from a foreign writer who speaks of the “ com¬ 
mon (superstitious) people ” of Europe. When 
we spoke of the cultivators of this country, we 
called them farmers —a name we deem the most 
honorable. But enough on this point. In our 
former article, page 234, we spoke of the impos¬ 
sibility of one species of plants changing or 
transmuting into another. Chess, called by bot¬ 
anists, bromus secalina, is a distinct species from 
wheat, called by botanists, triticum, and nothing 
but a miracle—a direct act of Providence—can 
cause one of these species to change into, or pro¬ 
duce the other species. 
So confident of this are we, and so desirous, 
withal, to set at rest a question of this kind, that 
we make the following offer . 
$500 Reward. —The Publisher of the American 
Agriculturist will pay a reward of $500 to any 
person who will prove by clear unmistakable ex¬ 
periment, to the satisfaction of intelligent and 
disinterested parties, that chess can be produced 
from wheat. No other conditions are made, 
than simply that the experiments shall be so con¬ 
ducted that there can be no mistake about the 
transmutation. 
Let us add that we do not call in question the 
veracity of those who assert that they have seen 
chess grown from wheat kernels. We have no 
doubt they believe what they assert; but, in the 
full conviction that there is some mistake about 
it, and to encourage experiments, we make the 
above offer in good faith, and will most cheerful¬ 
ly pay the reward if a single case of transmuta¬ 
tion can be proved. Let those interested make 
the trial, and if they succeed once, it will of 
course be easy to repeat the experiment under 
circumstances that will admit of no doubt. 
Grain Crops of three States.— Some idea 
may be formed of the rapid growth of the West 
from the statistics of grain exported from three 
States from Aug. 20th 1859 to July 15th, 1860. 
The figures are taken from accounts of the ac¬ 
tual shipments at the Upper Mississippi ports. 
Wheat. 
Oats 
O’r grain. 
Total. 
From Minnesota 
1,050,685 
5:18.500 
57,100 
1,646,285 
Iowa. 
1,254,840 
297,120 
25,970 
1,577,930 
•• Wisconsin 
486,720 
354,390 
27.113 
868,223 
Total... 
2,792,245 
1,190,010 
110,183 
4,092,438 
When it is remembered that, but q few years 
since, this whole territory was almost unbroken 
prairie, the above figures are almost beyond be¬ 
lief. The exports for the next and succeeding 
years will, without doubt, far exceed the above 
amounts. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Plan of Sheep House. 
I have a shed 20x30 all inclosed, except 10 feet 
in front which is left open. It is inclosed with 
boards running up and down, and cracks ian inch 
wide are left between each two boards, to give free 
circulation of air. All around the inside of the 
building, (except at the doors,) 44 inches inside 
of the principal sill, is another sill framed in, so 
as to leave its top 6 inches lower than the top of 
the outer one. On this space of 44 inches I lay 
a plank floor. Two feet from the outside of the 
floor I have 2x4 scantling put up about 12 feet 
apart, toe-nailed to the floor, and spiked to joists 
above. A board or plank 7 inches wide is spiked 
on to these uprights, and 2^ feet high, a 2x4 strip 
is also spiked to the scantlings. Upright boards 
7 inches wide are nailed to the plank, and to this 
strip, leaving a space 7 inches wide between each 
two boards. The center of the shed, inside of 
the inner sills on the floor is left 1 foot lower than 
the top of the sill. The figure shows a section of 
the side of the building with the platform and 
rack. 
Put the hay in behind the scantling and board*, 
and the sheep jump up on to the floor, and put 
their heads through the 7 inch spaces between the 
boards and eat. When they attempt to step back 
and pull the hay out, they step off the floor and 
at once abandon it. In this way they are pre¬ 
vented from pulling the hay out under their feet, 
and no matter how many sheep are fed, they will 
not waste a pound of hay during the Winter. I 
put my hay in the loft of this building, leaving 
holes in each corner for putting it down, and in 
wintering 50 sheep every Winter, the saving and 
convenience pays for the building. I stack wheat 
straw in the yard, keep them by themselves with 
free access to water, and never have a poor sheep, 
though feeding hay but once a day. 
Wayne Co , N. Y. L. S. Ketchum. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Howto keep Potatoes. 
More potatoes are spoiled through sweating 
than freezing. I never lose any, but save them 
thus: I raise the place six inches where I 
want the pit or hole, beating it hard with the 
spade. I throw the potatoes on, shaping like 
a pyramid, and cover thickly with straight clean 
straw. I then commence at the bottom, throw¬ 
ing on the earth and trampling it hard with my 
feet; one foot thick is plenty. When within a 
foot of the top, I make a hole in the straw with 
my hand, and put in a small funnel, one foot long 
and three inches square. Close the straw tight 
around the funnel, and cover closely with earth, 
clapping the whole solid with the spade. Let the 
funnel remain two weeks, (cover it with a small 
board in case of rain,) then take it out, close the 
hole with straw, cove, with earth, place a 
green sod on the top, set four small forked stakes 
in the ground around the heap, cover with boards 
to keep off rain, and I will insure your potatoes. 
Allen Co., Inti. W. W, 
