Show secured A TREATISE ON horticulture BT BY E SAVERS SAYERS horticulturist no 14 cultivation OF WHEAT lo 10 writing on the culture of wheat it may be considered as uncalled for under the head h ead of 0 f an horticultural treatise but as it is g my de design si i n to treat of everything that is connected w with lih the culture of the vegetable jabie Jable kingdom I 1 maybe excused for simply giving my views on that which seems to be practical in its bearing to those who have not been accustomed to the cultivation of wheat leaving the practical farmer to judge how far I 1 am ri right m h t in what may be advanced on the subject I 1 need not in this place pretend to give any dissertation on the usefulness or the historical account of so useful a grain nor treat on the numerous varieties in the different parts where wheat is cultivated like every ot other 1 er family of vegetables the varieties have been extended to a very great number far too tod great for the profit of the cultivator and I 1 am of an opinion if they were reduced to one fourth of we t the number that the most favorable results would arise from such a reduction WHEAT A BIENNIAL PLANT or wheat in its primitive or native state is a biennial plant that is it requires two seasons to bring it into a state of pro proper er growth crowth and maturity when ripe in the fall fail tail the h e grain falls from its husk or cove coxe covering ringlon 0 on the 9 ground round and so soon as rain or moisture e is sufficient for its economy it takes root fastens itself itsel f to the earth so as to remain during the winters As the spring sprin advances the you young P plants lants make a second growth and continue to increase through their progressive stages of growth until they arrivo arrive at a state of maturity ITS ORIGIN by cultivation wheat like many other families of grain has been improved from its wild primitive state to serve the end of domestic economy and in this state it is subject to various changes from a state of perfection by disease influence of insects bad cultivation and more particularly an undue attention on the part of the cultivator in selecting good seed for planting 0 deterioration by many persons it is universally acknowledged that this grain is fast deteriorating into in a weak meagre state and on one of the great causes is in sowing poor seed and not giving a due attention to preparing the grain before sowing inconsistency OF sorin SOME FARMERS it is somewhat singular that every farmer makes it a universal custom to select out his best ears of corn annually for seed but never thinks of adopting such a practice for wheat ask him what he selects the corn for and the answer will be it is his custom and it is right to do so to ket key keep up his stock true to its kind and in a good healthy condition ask him if he follows the same practice with wheat and his answer is in the ne negative active it is of rio ao use NECESSITY OF SELECTING GOOD SEED WHEAT now as the corn and wheat are alike annual grains if it is necessary to select the seed of seed one ne it is also equally necessary to select the beed seed of the other if it is no use usety to the one it is of no use uso use to the other MANNER OF SELECTING IT there is but one method that can be adopted to keep wheat true to its variety and in a good healthy state which is in selecting wheat in the ear in the course of every t or three years for seed suppose fo for fon X instance lie he collects in the fall from any given variety the best ears sufficient to make a peck of seed sow saw this on a good clean ilece biece of ground for seed for the ensuing 1 l season and from this stock grow seed wheat bhea t for two or three years and then again renew Mr your practice by adopting this method much benefit may be derived in keeping any variety true to its kind and in a good healthy condition TO THE YOUNG cultivator much good would also accrue from this practice as he will naturally become familiar with the good and bad properties of his crops and practice will by this custom learn him many useful lessons that would never have entered ills his mind had it not been for such observations ions THE EXCHANGE OF SEED WHEAT ig Is also essential to keeping it in a healthy condition this is a custom which has hag been successfully followed for a number of years by the english farmers the practice is 19 for farmers who cultivate wheat on a heavy heave clay or loam to exchange with those who cultivate all ali alight h sandy or chalky soil and it is understood to 0 adby by the parties that deverr every attention is to be given to growing the seed in the very best manner PREPARING THE SEED BEFORE SOWING Is I 1 essential to preserving it from the attacks of insects keeping down smut and other diseases incidental to it there are several methods practiced for this purpose the liming and brining wheat being the most universal and I 1 believe the best I 1 will herewith append a method long iong adopted by the kentish farmers england BRINING SEED WHEAT for this purpose the farmer has a large tub called the brine tub this holds about double the quantity of wheat he intends to sow bow each day in the season aie jie also has a stron strong basket made of willows that fits inside of the tub to hold the wheat the baak basket et has two strong handles a stick is run through the handles over th the e tub is fixed blocks and bullies for drawing up the basket from the tub strong brine is 13 made sufficient to float an egg at the commencement the basket is pul put into the tub and filled about half full of bf wheat sufficient brine is then poured in to rise nearl nearly to the top of the tub I 1 when the ye wheat has been in the brine about an hour it is 13 stirred well with a stick and all the chaff seeds of weeds etc float to chelop the lop top of the brine which is 15 skimmed aff with an old milk skimmer after the wheat ha has been in the brine from four to eight hours to soak the basket is then hauled up to the top of the euband tub landa janda a piece i ece of board is placed under it so that the gr brine 1 be may rny run off into the tub after draining a few minutes the wheat is thrown out of the basket in a small heap this done some pulverized lime is sifted over the heap the pile is then well mixed tog together etheri etherl when the lime adheres to the wheat it is then prepared for far sowing ANOTHER METHOD t la Is often practiced on a small scale by preparing a thin mortar of brine or chamber ley well mixed form the wheat into a conical heap make a small hole on the top and pour the mixture into the heap so that it is well mixed together then stir it together put into a big bag and sow it the next day the utility of thus p preparing re paring wheat before sowing requires but little comment suffice it to say that it ia is considered a preventive e against the smut by destroying the fungous substance that is about the grain it also prevents r insects from attacking it resides te besides sides tb ioe loe lieve it serves to preserve the grain from rotting 0 when lying long in the ground before germinating TIME OF SOWING in regard to the time of sowing and general culture the fall season is the only tibb time to plant the seed in order that it may have due time to grow and come into a state of pea perfection fec tion As this however in many instances cannot be e done to advantage where wheat is likely to be winter killed spring sowing is often done with what is called winter wheat SPRING SOWING TO BE AVOIDED 1 A this spring sowing t is however cuttin cutting q bithe the time 0 of f ilfe lire too short wheat like many other vegetable productions that are biennial bien nials requires two too seasons to grow into a state of maturity when forced to produce produce a crop in one season it is made urd uri naturally na ur I 1 ly an annual plant and by so doing the natural habit of the plant lant must be weakened by slow derees degrees and tence nence hence it will be seen that wheat p planted a anted in the fall has from li dafne ine lne to ten months to make root rooty grow and abone come into maturity when planted in the spring it has no more than th an four fou r or five months to grow and come into maturity v the above fact may account for the mummy wheat so called being so productive for the very reason that ahil e the grain was preserved two thousand years in its primitive state the same variety was undergoing certain changes by mingling many varieties disease and shortening tae the jue due time of its natural growth it may may be a question for the agriculturist to study if wheat which has been often grown in the valley from very late sowing is nob not by slow degrees assuming a weak meagre state if this is a fact the wheat is more subject to disease for I 1 hold it as a rule that a weakly constitution in the vegetable is alike synonymous to the animal more subject to disease than when in a healthy state i WHEAT TO BE SOWN town EARLY when wheat or any other biennial plant as i s made annual by growing browin g it I 1 in I 1 one on e s season e ason instead of two it should be the object of the cultivators tiva tors to plant early and use every possible means in culture to prolong n the time of g growth crowth as much as possible in order rd er to pr produce dil dul ce will well matured for a future sowing 1 9 QUESTION FOR scientific fai rAI FARMERS uhlers LITERS whilst on these subjects I 1 will throw out a few hints to the scientific leaders of horticulture and agriculture of the present enlightened age we hear much said of mother earths being run out outly ceasing to give due support to the vegetable kingdom the question might be asked if the vital principle or natural stamina of vegetable life has not in a measure been run out by undue management in cuttin cutting short the natural time of growth in grain vegetables and fruit and by too much min mingling the true or pure varieties into an innumerable 0 mass of heterogeneous t varieties THE deterioration OF and ot other he r varieties of grain crain grain and vegetables so much written on is I 1 believe belleve lieve chiefly owin owing to the above facts the truth Is that almost every specie of grain and vegetable has been S so 0 much grown into choice varieties that the old oid primitive healthy quail quality tyla is almost extinct and until it can be again reclaimed into a healthy vig vigorous orous state little good may be ex ev pecked in the present state of agriculture ROTATION IN CROPPING regarding 11 gardin 0 the manner of cultivating 0 wheat in the valle valie valley vailey y it is not my province to dictate to the practical t ical farmer who I 1 think ym ivill 1 agree that if it the practice of routine routina cropp lK 44 was more generally practised practiced much good would result the too general practice of contin continual uzl uzI sq so wheat on the same ground must naturally ert tract a great portion of nutriment adapters adapt adapted to its growth and requisite in producing good crops crops i if continual cropping of wheat in must 4 t be be practiced by bould be plowed deeper every years yeary in m order to bring up a fresh sub aub soll which will contain fresh food or nutriment for the crop |