140 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
WORK FOR THE MONTH. 
Wheat:—Time of Sowing. 
September is the month in which our most important 
crop, wheat, should be sown, as the experience of near¬ 
ly every farmer proves that putting the seed into the 
earth in this month, is preferable to any earlier or later 
sowing. If sown earlier, there is great danger that hot 
dry weather, such as frequently prevails inAugust, will 
prevent the seed vegetating, or give only a weak, 
spindling plant ; while late sowing prevents the plants 
getting sufficient root, and by making the harvest late, 
renders the crop more liable to the attack of the rust 
or mildew. Wheat sown too early is also more liable to 
be injured by the Hessian dy. Taking all things into con¬ 
sideration, if the land is properly tilled and in good 
condition, it will be found ihatfromthe 12th to the 20th 
of September will be as good a time as any for sowing 
wheat. There is a chance of its escaping the fly ; it 
can hardly fail of vegetating ; it will get sufficiently 
rooted ; and will come forward at harvest early enough 
to escape the mildew, unless in extraordinary cases. 
Selection of Seed. 
The selection of seed for the wheat crop, is not suffi¬ 
ciently attended to by most farmers, and the losses 
consequent on their loose practice in this respect is im¬ 
mense. To this it is owing in a great measure, that our 
wheat fields are covered with steinkrout, cockle, chess, 
and the multitude of vile weeds that exhaust the crop, 
and not unfrequently destroy all profitable cultivation. 
Bright, plump, clean seed,should always be chosen, and 
impure, shriveled or discolored seed avoided. We 
have known some farmers cast their wheat for seed, that 
is, throw it some 30 or 40 feet, or the length of the barn 
floor, and as the heaviest kernels will go the farthest, 
this point is selected for the seed. Others select their 
seed by taking the sheaves and striking them a few 
blows across a block or barrel by which the ripest and 
best seeds will be shaken out to be used for sowing. 
But whatever course is adopted, let it always be re¬ 
membered, that as a general rule, the more perfect the 
seed, the better in every respect will be the crop. 
Change of Seed. 
We have known the very best effects result from a 
change of seed ; such as wheal grown on oak lands, to 
be sown on beech and maple lands ; or from one district 
of the former to another. The farmers of the counties 
of Madison, Cortland, and those on the high lands of the 
south part of Onondaga, were for many years in the 
practice of getting their seed wheat from the limestone 
districts of Cayuga county, and the course was a most 
beneficial one. The object at first was to escape the 
smut but experience showed that the crop itself was 
much impoved in quantity as well as quality ; and al¬ 
though by the use of liming seed wheat, smut has been 
mostly eradicated from the district named, the benefi¬ 
cial effects of change of seed are still apparent. Let 
those who doubt the importance of a change of seed 
try the experiment of ordering some pure Genesee 
wheat, to sow side and side with some that has long 
been grown on the same farm, or the same kind of 
soils, and mark the result. 
Preparation of Seed. 
Next to having good seed, in our estimation, is the 
preparation of it previous to sowing. This should 
never be neglected. Washing it assists materially in free¬ 
ing it from all foul seeds, destroying the ova of insects 
that may have been deposited upon it, and the alkaline 
solutions which should always be used, act a most im¬ 
portant part in aiding the germination of the seed. 
Among the experiments which have been made to test 
the effects of various Avashes or steeps, the following 
from Young’s Annals of Agriculture, and which have 
been frequently repeated and varied, but with similar 
effects, may be considered the best and most conclusive. 
"December 7th, sowed 14beds with the same seed wheat, as 
black with smut as ever I saw any.” 
Results condensed. _ Smutty ears. 
Beil No. 1, sown dry, nothing done to it, had. 377 
“ 2, washed well in clean water,..325 
“ 3, “ in lime water,. 43 
“ 4, “ in a lye of wood ashes,. 31 
a 6, " in arsenic and salt mixture,. 28 
“ 6, steeped in lime water 4 hours, had. 12 
" 7, “ in lye 4 hours, had. 3 
‘- 8, “ in arsenic 4 hours, had. 1 
“ “ in lime water 12 hours, had. 6 
t< io, “ in lye 12 hours, had. 0 
“ n, “ in arsenic 12 hours, had . 4 
“ 12, “ in lime water 24 hours, had. 0 
“ 13, “ in lye 24 hours, had-.. 0 
'( 14, “ in arsenic 24 hours, had.. 5 
M. Dombasle, the celebrated French agriculturist, 
prefers a Avash made of Glauber salts, the seed to be 
soaked in this three or four hours and then dried in 
caustic lime. This would not be materially different 
from the practice now so common of washing or rather 
soaking the seed ivheat in brine, and then drying it with 
quick lime, a practice we can unhesitatingly recom¬ 
mend to eimry wheat grower. Let the brine be strong 
enough to float all light or defective seeds, and after a 
thorough soaking, drain the seed slightly, pour it upon 
a floor, and dry it with newly slaked lime, as on the 
causticity of this, much of the benefit of liming is de¬ 
pending. We have tried drying brined wheat Avith 
gypsum instead of lime, but so far as the smut was 
concerned, it was a decided failure. That part of the 
field sown with the gypsumed seed was about the smut¬ 
tiest wheat we ever saw, while that part which was 
limed was perfectly free and pure- In addition to the 
advantages of liming wheat for the prevention of smut, 
we are convinced that alkaline substances, such as lime, 
soda, wood lye, &c., perform an important part in 
aiding the germination of the seed, by converting the 
deposit of nourishment which nature has provided in 
the seed itself in the shape of starch, flour, gum, or 
mucilage, into a substance suitable for the food of the 
young plant, more quickly than would be done if not 
thus aided. Every person who has made the experi¬ 
ment with seeds prepared Avith lime, and those unpre¬ 
pared, must have been surprised at the difference in the 
time of their coming up, and the vigor of their growth. 
Thus beet or turnep seed soaked and part dried in lime, 
and the other sowed without, has been found to have 
the advantage altogether on the side of the limed part; 
and the same result Avill be had in the preparation of 
wheat. 
M. Maltereu, in a series of experiments on the ger¬ 
mination of seeds, found that they germinated much 
quicker in alkaline solutions than in acids ; that they 
germinate sooner at the negative or alkaline pole of a 
galvanic battery, than at the positive or acid one ; and 
as gabcanic or electric agency is now knoAvn to exert a 
powerful influence over vegetation, it can scarce be 
doubted that the alkaline agency is exerted in this way 
in the chemical changes necessary to fit the starch, 
gum, &c. for the food of the young plant. 
State of the Soil. 
The state of the soil, and the manner of putting in 
the seed wheat, exercises a great influence on the growth 
of the plant, and the success or failure of the crop. 
Unless in the very lightest soils, wheat should never be 
sown while the ground is wet from recent rains, for 
though moisture is essential to germination, the excess 
of it is most injurious. Tenacious soils especially, and 
those are the best for wheat in Avhich some clay, Avhich 
gives tenacity, is found, will not endure working while 
wet, and to sow seeds on such soils, while in that con¬ 
dition, is to throw away the chance of a good crop. 
The soil for the seed bed should he fine, work freely 
and Avithout any tendency to compactness, and if the 
requisite degree of moisture be present, which rarely 
fails of being the case, the seed will rarely fail of ger¬ 
minating well. 
Covering the Seed. 
That method of covering the seed Avill be best which 
places it most certainly and equally at the proper depth. 
Wheat Avill groAV in some soils from a much greater 
depth than in others, but many experiments and experi¬ 
ence shows that from 3 to 4 inches in ordinary soils is 
about the depth at which it succeeds the best. Wheat 
has two sets of roots, one forming at the seed, and the 
other near the surface. If the distance from the seed 
to the surface is too great, the connecting stem between 
the two sets of roots is attenuated and not strong enough 
for the vigor of the plant ; if the seed is too shallow, 
the two sets of roots are crowded together, and their 
extent of space from Avhich to draAV nourishment much 
diminished. We have found those plants apparently 
the most vigorous in Avhich the length of the connect¬ 
ing stem Avas about 2 inches ; AvAre it Avas 4 or 5, the 
effect Avas clearly injurious. Some farmers use the har¬ 
row altogether for covering se ; -ds, others prefer the 
plow. We think the plow the List Avhere care is taken 
to give no more than the depth, and make the 
furrows fir-.-. -Tt '-avert*/ Vseed more completely, and 
ensures a great!? equality in the depth than the harrow, 
but the process is so much the more tedious, that few 
farmers are willing to use the plow as much as this 
method requires, and of course prefer the harrow. We 
have seen an implement made something in the form 
of an old fashioned harrow, Avith cultivator teeth 
placed in it instead of common harrow teeth. These 
moved the ground to about the required depth, cover¬ 
ed the seed well, and greatly facilitated the Avork. The 
wheat crop is of so much consequence to the farmer and 
to the country, that every thing relating to it de¬ 
mands care in selecting the best methods, and continued 
experiment and well directed observation in the produc¬ 
tion of the crop. 
Corn for Seed. 
September, too, is the best month for the selection 
and saving of seed corn. Farmers who have not paid 
attention to this point of husbandry, are not aware of 
the difference there is both in the ripening and in the 
yield of corn, between that in Avhich the seed Avas care¬ 
fully selected in the field from the earliest ripe, and 
most vigorous ears, and that in Avhich the seed though 
ripe, was taken at random from the crib, without re¬ 
ference to these qualities. There is no plant cultivated, 
which feels the beneficial effect of selection and care¬ 
ful choice of seed more quickly and fully than Indian 
corn, and the farmer who neglects this selection and 
choice, and plants at hazard anything he thinks will 
grow, sadly mistakes the principles and practice neces¬ 
sary to produce a good corn crop. There are feAv 
farmers Avho plant so much corn that an active man will 
not select in the field (and that is the only way he can 
be perfectly certain of the best ears,) in half a day, 
and secure by tracing up, all or more than he Avill want. 
As soon then as the corn is ripe, and the husks sepa¬ 
rate from the corn freely, select your seed corn and 
place it Avhere it Avill be safe and dry. In this Avay 
only, can the two great points with the farmer in the 
cultivation of corn, earliness in maturing and produc¬ 
tiveness in the crop, be rendered certain of attainment. 
Virginia Board of Agriculture. 
At the last session of the Virginia Legislature, a bill 
was passed for the organization of a State Board of 
Agriculture, and in conformity to its requisitions, Lieut. 
Gov. Rutherford has appointed the following gentle¬ 
men to constitute it : 
For the division of the State lying upon tide water : 
JAMES M. GARNETT, of Essex, and 
EDMUND RUFFIN, of Petersburgh. 
For the division between tide water and the Blue 
Ridge mountains : 
JAMES BARBOUR, of Orange, and 
RICHARD SAMPSON, of Goochland. 
For the division between the Blue Ridge and the 
Allegany mountains ; 
NATHANIEL BURWELL, of Clark, and 
EDWARD WATTS, of Roanoke. 
For the division west of the Allegany mountains : 
JOSEPH JOHNSON, of Harrison, and 
PETER H. STEENBERGER, of Mason 
We are glad to see the names of these gentlemen an¬ 
nounced in this connection. They are men of talent 
and influence, well known as eminent agriculturists or 
deeply interested in its advancement, and the appoint¬ 
ment may be hailed as a commencement of a neAv era 
in Virginia agriculture. There is not a more decided 
farming population in the United States than that of 
Virginia ; and blessed as the state is with a fine climate 
and fertile soil, nothing seems wanting to render her 
one of the foremost in the quantity and quality of her 
productions, but a more enlightened and improved sys¬ 
tem of culture. Through the efforts of a feAv patriotic 
and public spirited individuals, much has been already 
done ; the attention of the farmers and planters has 
been called to the necessity of organization and effort ; 
valuable periodicals devoted to the cause of improved 
husbandry have been patronized and circulated ; and 
the first legislative action has been directed to the 
formation of a Board of Agriculture, from which we 
are authorised to expect beneficial and decided results. 
We must be permitted to add, hoAvever, that one im¬ 
portant point in relation to the organization, action, and 
efficiency of the Board Avas either forgotten or over¬ 
looked by the Legislature. To perform the duties, the 
proper performance of the office to Avhich they are ap¬ 
pointed will require, will demand the expenditure of 
much time, and some money; and.though the public 
spirit and liberality of the gentlemen of the Board are 
Avell known, still Ave think common justice required that 
an appropriation covering at least their actual expenses 
while employed in the service of the State, should have 
been made. There can be no doubt but the legislators 
greatly mistake the time interests, as Avell as the feel¬ 
ings, of their constituents, if they suppose that a penu¬ 
rious system of legislation on the subject of agricul¬ 
ture, is the one Avhich will be most beneficial or the 
most approAmd. The evidence existing in our OAvn 
country that such is not the case, is most a bundant, and 
further consideration will doubtless correct the error in¬ 
to which other legislatures as well as that of Virginia 
have fallen. 
Sun Bial. 
This instrument for measuring time 
has been knoAvn and in use from the 
earliest ages, and is a common and valued 
ornament in gardens, pleasure grounds 
and yards in Europe, but has been com¬ 
paratively little knoAvn or noticed in this 
country. Our climate is well adapted to 
the use of the sun dial, the great num¬ 
ber of our clear and beautiful days 
rendering it more useful here, as a cor¬ 
rect measurer of time, than in England, 
where the cloudy days are more frequent. 
Of late, however, public attention has 
been attracted to their value and con¬ 
venience, and we are glad to announce 
that a manufactory of dials, a correct 
and beautiful article, has been establish¬ 
ed by Mr. Moore, of Kensington, (Ct.) 
specimens of which may be seen at Henry 
RaAvls & Co’s. Albany, and at Geo. C. 
Thorburn’s, New York. In the yard or garden, they 
should be placed on a neat and firm pedestal, and are 
very ornamental. We have copied a good figure (71) 
of such a pedestal, from DoAvning’s new Avork on Land¬ 
scape Gardening, from which Ave extract the following 
just remarks respecting it: 
“ Sun dials are among the oldest decorations for the garden 
and grounds, and there are scarcely any Ave think more suita¬ 
ble. They are not merely decorative, but have also a tasteful 
character, and may therefore be occasionally placed in distant 
parts of the grounds, should a favorite walk terminate there. 
When we meet daily in our Avalksfor a number of years, with 
one of these silent monitors of the flight of time, we become 
in a degree attached to it, and almost look upon it as gifted with 
a species of intelligence, -which looks out Avhen the sunbeams 
smile upon the dial plate.” 
We cannot avoid paying, in this place, a well deserved 
compliment to our friend Mr. Walsh, Avhose indefati¬ 
gable labors in the cause of horticulture and correct taste 
are so Avell known, as it was his suggestion which call¬ 
ed this manufactory of dials into existence. 
(Fig. 71.) 
