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AGRICULTURE IS THE. MOST HEALTHFUL, THE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. -Washington. 
CONDUCTING EDITOR, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 
ORANGE JUDD, A. M. ALLEN & CO., 189 Water-st., New-York 
VOL. XIV.—NO. 26.] NEW-YORK, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1855. 
[NEW SERIES.—NO 
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__—TT T.. - 
HINTS ON SOWING WHEAT. 
The certainty of the wheat crop as com¬ 
pared with other staple farm productions; 
its universal adaptability as an article of 
food; the safety, ease and cheapness with 
which it may be transported to any part of 
the world where needed, and its being pre¬ 
eminently a cash-yielding material, all point 
out this crop as one worthy of the greatest 
attention of farmers in every section of the 
country, where its cultivation is not pre¬ 
cluded by the circumstances of soil or cli¬ 
mate. The uniform high, or at least remu¬ 
nerative prices for several years past, and 
the probability of a continued European de¬ 
mand, for a year or more after the establish¬ 
ment of peace—an event not prospectively 
near—are additional considerations which 
should prompt to sowing a large breadth the 
present Autumn. We will, therefore, throw 
out a few hints upon the methods of increas¬ 
ing the amount sown, and process of culti¬ 
vation. 
G 
There are many acres upon every farm 
that may be sown to wheat, with a prospect 
of only half a crop—better than to lie in 
stubble or poor pasture. The opinion that 
all grass land must be plowed previous to har¬ 
vest, and lie sometime as Summer-fallow, 
is erroneous. A meadow or pasture may 
be turned over in September, and wheat 
sown directly upon the inverted sod. Such 
land should be well harrowed after plowing, 
and if very poor, a light coating of rotted 
manure or guano be worked into the surface 
to supply the necessities of the plant until 
the decay of the underlying sods. Stubble 
land, whether of oats, wheat or barley, may 
also be sown profitably, if a coating of ma¬ 
nure or guano be applied; and it is even 
better to obtain a half or two-thirds crop, 
than to let such ground lie idle for a whole 
year. Those who understand well the phi¬ 
losophy of manuring, find no difficulty in 
getting remunerative crops of wheat every 
year from the same field, though a rotation 
of crops is always advisable, where it can 
be done without contracting the amount of 
the more important crop. 
SELECTION OP SEED. 
This should be attended to before as well 
as after threshing. The wheat ripening ear¬ 
liest should invariably be saved for seed. 
The manner of threshing is important. 
When wheat is crowded through a machine 
with close setting, sharp teeth, a great num¬ 
ber of the kernels are broken, or crushed so 
as to destroy the germ, though the fracture 
may not be perceptible to the eye, at least 
without careful inspect ion. We have count¬ 
ed ten to twenty-five in a hundred kernels 
thus spoiled for seed. We have latterly re¬ 
commended to place the whole sheaves upon 
the barn floor, and beat off with the flail the 
largest and best kernels for seed ; and then 
lay aside the sheaves to be run through a 
machine.afterwards. Two men will readily 
beat off thirty to sixty bushels of seed in a 
day, if the threshing floor is adjacent to the 
wheat-mow, since a very little beating will 
take out half or more of the grain. 
Select the largest, plumpest kernels for seed. 
To pass over the generally established prin¬ 
ciple that “like produces like,” there is an 
important consideration that we have not 
seen referred to by writers on the selection 
of various kinds of seed. Every seed con¬ 
tains not only the germ of the future plant, 
but also a supply of nourishment for the first 
wants of the young shoot. The germ of the 
wheat seed is very small, and the great bulk 
of the kernel is composed of what must 
nourish the germ until it has sent forth roots 
into the soil and leaves into the air. If now 
the kernel be small or shriveled, the young 
shoot will lack for nourishment, will get a 
poor start, and for a long time have but a 
comparatively feeble growth; while from the 
full, plump kernel the'shoot will derive a full 
supply of pabulum, will send forth vigorous 
roots and leaves, and will have a much bet¬ 
ter chance for a rapid after-growth. Three 
hundred pounds per acre of guano, intimate¬ 
ly mingled with the soil, has been found to 
exert a powerful effect upon the wheat plants, 
and yet that amount of guano does not fur¬ 
nish to each cubic inch of soil as much nour¬ 
ishment as there is in a single plump kernel 
of wheat. This reasoning must appear ob¬ 
vious to every one ; and to this we may add 
the fact that, in our own experience, as well 
as from extended observation, we have found 
the practice of selecting large seed to be 
highly profitable. Our method has been to 
run the wheat designed for seed over a coarse 
screen, which sorted out only about one 
third of the largest kernels. After pursuing 
this method for a very few years, the gener¬ 
al character of the wheat was so much im¬ 
proved that after selecting one-third of the 
plumpest kernels for seed and home use, 
what remained still commanded the highest 
market price. Another advantage of this 
course is, that we thus get rid of all “ fou 
stuff.” 
Varieties of Seed. —Almost every section 
of the country has some particular variety of 
wheat which has been fouud best adapted to 
the locality, and no general rule can be given. 
Let every farmer be sure and get the best, 
and not sow a poorer variety because he hap¬ 
pens to have it. He can usually exchange 
with a neighbor, giving wheat good for con¬ 
sumption or marked, for that which is more 
valuable for seed. Better to expend a dol¬ 
lar more for good seed than sow poor, when 
$10 to $12 per acre is to be laid out in other 
expenses of cultivation. An additional yield 
of two or three bushels for the same labor in 
cultivating will well repay the difference be¬ 
tween good and bad seed. 
From nearly all accounts of the past and 
present year, the Red Mediterranean wheat 
has been found the most reliable, and where- 
ever this seed is accessible we advise to 
procure it for a part or the whole of the next 
crop. 
SOW WHEAT EARLY. 
Every year’s experience and observation 
show more and more plainly the importance 
of sowing wheat early. One half or more of 
the reports from the wheat crop during two 
years past contain in substance the follow¬ 
ing : “Early sown wheat is good, but late 
sown is Winter-killed,” or “ injured by the 
insect.” Wheat should get well rooted be¬ 
fore frosts set in. The long roots will be far 
less liable to be thrown out by frost. Na- 
ture is a good teacher; as soon as the old 
crop is ripe the seeds fall to the ground and 
commence growing again. North oflatitude 
42° it would be better if every grain of seed 
wheat were in the ground early in Septem¬ 
ber. From 40° to 42°, wheat sowing should 
be finished by the first week in October. 
METHOD OP SOWING WHEAT. 
Every person raising twenty or thirty 
acres of wheat can well afford to purchase 
a seed-drill, unless he can join a neighbor in 
buying one. Some of the advantages of 
drilling-in wheat instead of sowing broadcast 
may be summed up as follows : 
The seed is put into the ground at a uni¬ 
form depth, the plants come up evenly, grow 
evenly, and ripen at the same time- 
