110 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
rng in western New-York. Our wheat crop is in many instances sadly 
injured by the rust, and in some completely destroyed. I have one field 
of four acres, rich land, which promised thirty bushels an acre, but which 
the rust has completely destroyed, there not being a bushel on the whole 
lot; and on other fields I shall not have more than half orquarter of acrop. 
A heavy frost on the night of the 5th inst. did great damage to our crops 
of corn, potatoes, beans, &c. I had a field of three acres, new rich land, 
in the China bean, from which I expected 100 bushels, but on account of 
the frost, the whole will be a failure; also about three acres of promising 
corn, of the granite kind. The farmers prospects here have been sadly ! 
blighted by the rust and the frost.” 
THE CORN CROP 
Looks remarkably promising, though got in late, upon all grounds adapt¬ 
ed to its culture; and if we are not visited with early frosts, the product 
is likely to be more than medium. The color is uncommonly fine, and 
the growth has been luxuriant. There has been one peculiarity in 
the past season, highly beneficial to this grain. Although the mean tem¬ 
perature has been low, and the nights generally cool, yet we have expe¬ 
rienced frequent refreshing showers, which, contrary to what has gene¬ 
rally happened in other years, have been almost invariably followed by a 
warm or hot temperature, that gave a vigorous impetus to vegetation.— 
The oat and potato crops are perhaps unprecedentedly promising. 
THE GRASS CROP, 
Contrary to general expectation, has turned out very light, in this and 
many of the neighboring counties. The remark particularly applies to 
old meadows. This unexpected failure is ascribed to the severe winter, 
and to the ravages of the grub at the root. 
SPRING WHEAT, 
Has already superseded the winter species in Lower Canada, and in the 
northern section of the Union; and such are the casualties which the win¬ 
ter crop has to encounter, from the Hessian fly, from hard winters, and 
from the grain worm, for the latter, we have no doubt, will soon extend 
itself over the whole country, that we apprehend the farmers of the north¬ 
ern and middle states, at least, will soon find it advantageous to resort to 
the spring species of this grain for their main crop. Under this view of 
the subject, we think we shall be doing a service to the readers of the 
Cultivator by detailing what we know in relation to different species of 
spring wheat. 
The triticum eestivum, or spring wheat, is said to be a native of southern 
Siberiaand Sicily, whence its culture has been gradually dispersed through 
Europe and America. It ripens ordinarily about the same time as winter 
wheat, when sown very early; but when sown later it is fit to harvest in 
ten or fifteen days after the former. The following, among other varie¬ 
ties, are described in the books. 
1. Having a red spike, or ear and grain. 
2. Red spring wheat, with a white ear. 
3. A white spike and grain. These three are all beardless varieties,'of 
the same species, are not easily affected by moisture, and give a flour nu¬ 
tritious, but not so white, or in so large proportions, as the winter varie¬ 
ties. These are believed to be the common varieties cultivated among 
us. 
4. Siberian spring wheat, probably the variety cultivated in Oneida, 
and already noticed on the authority of Dr. Goodsell. It is bearded. 
5. The Egyptian , or many spiked wheat. Loudon terms this a varie¬ 
ty of winter, whereas with us it is a spring wheat. This is remarkable for 
its uncommon productiveness. The grains, however, do not yield so 
large a proportion of flour or meal as other species or varieties, and the 
flour is said to be scarcely superior to that obtained from the finest barley. 
It has been introduced in our country to a considerable extent. 
6. Spelt wheat, noticed under correspondence. Sown in spring. 
7. Italian spring rJbheat. This is the variety which was introduced by 
Mr. Hathaway, of Rome, and which seems to have proved congenial to 
our soil and climate wherever it has been tried. It is bearded, the pro¬ 
duct is abundant, and the grain makes excellent flour. 
There are besides those we have enumerated, several other varieties of 
spring wheat, which we do not find described, and with which we are not 
acquainted, as the Black Sea and Tea Wheat, which are probably mere 
varieties, which have been modified by climate and culture. 
The white, or spring or summer wheats, flourish best on light soils. 
The ground, however, requires to be well pulverized. A good prepara¬ 
tion is a clover ley, ploughed in May, and sown the 15th in this latitude, 
so as to escape the grain worm. The straw of spring wheat is generally 
shorter than that of tne winter varieties, the berry less plump, the flour 
less abundant, and darker, but equally nutritious. 
The new material for Silk —which has been discovered by a farmer in 
Oneida, and which was alluded to in a late Cultivator, we are induced to 
believe, if our information is correct, will prove of great value to the nor¬ 
thern section of the state, by enabling the farmers to go extensively and 
immediately into the silk business. There is no use in dissembling the 
fact, which the last four years has amply established, that neither the mo- 
rus multicaulis nor the white mulberry will withstand our northern win¬ 
ters for a series of years, however they may endure a few mild seasons. 
Nothing certain can be depended upon from them, but an annual growth 
from the roots, north of the latitude of the valley of the Mohawk. We 
make this assertion as well from our own observation, as from information, 
that the winters have proved fatal to thousands which had been planted 
in Jefferson, Oswego, Onondaga, and other counties. Our experience of 
the Brussa has not been sufficient to justify a confident opinion as to its 
hardiness; and the indigenous red, which is hardy, attracts but little at¬ 
tention. A good substitute, therefore, is matter of great importance.— 
The substitute which has been discovered, the name and utility of which 
will probably be disclosed and verified to the next legislature, is the leaves 
of a biennial plant, long subjected to garden culture, perfectly hardy, and 
which can be readily multiplied to any required extent. The importations 
of foreign silk amounted, last year, to twenty-two millions of dollars—- 
The substitution of the American for the foreign article, to half, or a 
quarter, of this amount, would be matter of great importance in a national 
point of view, and would add .materially to the amount of our productive 
industry._ 
TO DESTROY THE HESSIAN FLY, 
A farmer in Ohio has adopted the following successful expedient:—He 
sows early in September, and feeds it down in November. The fly is 
lodged in the lower joints of the grain, and is bitten off and destroyed 
by the cattle or sheep which feed upon it. The wheat becomes well es¬ 
tablished by being sown early, and shoots so vigorously in sjrring as to be 
little if any affected by the fly. An experiment was made in fwo ad¬ 
joining fields, sown at the same time: one was not fed down, and was 
nearly destroyed by the Hessian fly; the other was fed down, and wholly 
escaped the insect.- We state this on the best authority. 
Smut in Grain. —We are surprised to learn that smut is still permitted 
to adulterate and diminish our grain crops, when it is a fact amply and 
satisfactorily established, that steeping the seed grain twelve hours in 
brine, and rolling it in fresh slaked lime, before sowing, will prevent the 
evil. The pepper-brand and dust-brand, the two species of smut, are 
parasitic plants, the minute seeds of which attach to the grain, and are 
propelled through the sap vessels of the plant, to the germs of the young 
grain. The salt and lime destroy the -vitality of these seeds. 
AGRICULTURE IN PENNSYLVANIA. 
Pennsylvania was the first to improve upon the early exhausting agri¬ 
cultural practices of the country: she was the first to employ lime in hus¬ 
bandry, the first to introduce the use of gypsum, and the first to establish 
an agricultural society. The Philadelphia society for promoting agri¬ 
culture was incorporated in 1785; and it long sustained a high reputa¬ 
tion for.usefulness, and enriched our country with several volumes of 
valuable memoirs. The early improvements in her agriculture, were, 
however, somewhat limited to the sphere of the society’s influence, and 
were but partially perceptible in the remote districts of the state. And 
her improvements in husbandry very materially intermitted, as the exer¬ 
tions and influence of that society declined, by the death of many of its 
principal founders and supporters, until New-York, later, but more steady 
in improvement, and aided and stimulated by the liberal and enlightened 
policy of governor D. W. Clinton, has outstripped her in the excellence 
of her farming operations. Though there are many well cultivated dis¬ 
tricts in Pennsylvania, New-York, as a state, we think, decidedly sur¬ 
passes her in the general character of her husbandry; and yet New-York 
has hardly began to develope the immense resources of her soil and her 
agricultural industry: she is capable, under the improved system of hus¬ 
bandry which has obtained in some of her districts, of trebling the pro¬ 
ducts of her soil, without materially increasing the amount of her labor to 
obtain it. We do not make this comparison with any invidious view, but 
to awaken an honorable emulation, between sister states, in improving 
the condition of agriculture, which constitutes, in both, the foundation of 
their prosperity and happiness. A competition in this work of usefulness 
would be equally creditable to the legislatures and citizens of both states, 
and prove a rich blessing to our common country. 
Our attention has been called to this subject by a report made at the 
close of the late session of the Pennsylvania legislature, by Mr Harper, 
of the senate. As the Cultivator has a wide circulation in Pennsylvania, 
we notice this report for the special benefit of our readers in that state, 
and for the general benefit of the community at large. 
“Land,” says the report, “is the source of subsistence for all—it is 
the capital which supports all kinds of business—it is the substratum of 
credit. The precious metals may be the basis of circulation; but there 
could be very little active business, without the credit which rests upon 
land, and its annual productions. The specific value of land, as well as of 
its produce, mainly depends upon a proper system of agriculture; of course 
the interests of every man in the community are blended with those of 
the farmer. The subject, therefore, is of too much importance to be 
viewed with indifference by a wise legislature, nor will they neglect to 
