Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-10-18

! from the ordinary course The mention oi
this matter brings me To a part OF the subject
which verify believe does bear on the wheat
fly. | have sometimes tancled, but mention
is not as fact borne out by a long series OF ca
psriments or any worry close investigation of The
circumstances, that wheat sewn late IN the WIN
ter, or very early in the spring, is more liable
! 10 injury from the Red Robin. - as the wheat
I fly, or rather wheat maggot is called IN my
country, than If sown ri tue proper legitimate
season. | vii state n case IN poini, as the law
| Yers say. In the spring OF the year 1871,
was unlucky enough 10 have twenty two acres
! of TaIavera wheat of W hioh had then high
pr opinion than have nov but no matter Ton
that Ny wheat was drilled (ai seVen inch M
trrVals) on ten iutrow STITCHES, as we call them,
ridges or batis they are called IN some counties,
the sell strong loan on a clay bottom, well
drained. ani lal OF manure, being alter tur-
nips early carried of | never saw seed go III
IN finer order, nor come up better, nor thrive
faster. In fact throughout the summer 1t took
! The lead oil all my other wheats, and thought
as every body who saw il, that should have al
least en- coombs an acre (loity imperial bush
els However, mad no such good luck al
bl Issomng time, soon after, observed the
! " Red Ronin" was very busy amongst the crop,
and my poor wheat soon put on must Jauhoi-
ced and uhhealthy sort oil countenance "h'oh
boded no good either 10 the sample or the cast,
as we cal the yield.
10 cut fhe long stony short, We cut the wheat
an lmmente bnlk OF straw, but sore lhtle
forH, Is nv men observed, Tor at thTeshing
/ time. IN pace ot forty bushels an acne, bad
not above tNenty four, and that oil a most
meagrs, uns ghtY Appearance. Now, IN turn.
nag over IN my nihd as one IS apt To do, Inc
| probable ca SIS al this disease, and the def
cirncy thereby occasioned. could not help
! thinking IhHt the time OF sowing had somewhat
u do with It, aud began to tnlnk was right
/ ly served Tor flus attempting, ilheiily us II
| were, to Obtain crop Of wheat, When ought
| Ia have been content With what should nave
been certain III obtaining, capital crop OF bat
| ley OF oats. Bul tnen, tue soil was 10 excellent
! hesr, the tuInlps We're cleared OF ~ good tune,
the land all plunghed ready, every thing IN
| short Ia tempt Que 10 the commission OF an agu'
cultural SIN the deed WIS done, the result
| nave shown. WHAT induced me 10 believe that
sprmg sowing had something to do with tue
disease. was the following circumstance. In
| held adjoining one OF those have mentioned,
The soil Of which cou'd not consequently he very
disslmiiar, | had sown IN the preVlons October.
! {" ether oy mistake or not cannot now call
10 mind nor is il very mateIial.) bout Two acres
! Of Hiis same IalaVtrd wheat tue seed was IN
TACT part and parcel OF that afterwards sOwn IN
the spring. Inc two acres came up welt and
would have been good crop, but for The frost
! which Carried Oft e east third OF the plants.
! Il is therefore tsitier plant. ths' TACT proved
beyond the possibility oil doubt but proved
also another thing, nj least thought at the time
II amounted TO proof, that autumn sown J. ala
vera escaped the " Red Robin Almost eve
~ ear was perfect and the sample beautiful.
and srrupie moi u SAY. could always be sure
of obtaining such. should be tempted 10 risk
he al At ~ ~ al
than have ahunrant crop of straw, with
able. shflsei d hslff led ears, such as roy
spring sown crop produced.
MIR 5herifs disposed to attach but little
| " ishi 10 the notion that the fly attacks some
kinds OF wheat more than others, conc Ewing
that tue fly ravages all varieties indscrim
nately.' think he is wrong in this my TWEEN
L two acres of Isayera wheat were evidently
more affected that year than any other port ion
OF my wheat crop; and though the fact of the
spring sewn being roughly handled, whilst
the autumn sOwn escaped, would seem TO m-
ply that season had more to do in causing the
disease, than the sort OF wheat used yet can
not help thinking that the latter had no small.
share in the mischief The opinion that some
varieties are more liable TO ioJury from this
cause than others aud especially on loose, rich
soils, have unfortunately had too good reason
from NV ewn experience TO believe is correct.
| shall give one very striking instance. There
is a kind of wheat, which in Lancashire prudu-
ces very bright, bold sample. The stock ~
called yellow LammaS, or in common parlance,
! yellow wheat. knowing the excellence of this
variety in the above district, procured few
bushels of it, with a view OF introducing it INTO
Norfolk in the year following, drilled field
! of eleven acres with the produce the crop was
SO completely cut up bv the " Red Robin" that
! 4 ii, ity nj
stock. Many of the ears we're deficient one
half aud of those which remained, the grains
were coarse, and in every respect the reverse
! of what hive ever found II III Lancashire. A
I friend, who had some OF the seed Of ne, met
with similar want oil success; observing thai he
| had tried various sorts of wheat, but ne5er
| found any To equal thu" old red" in hardness.
The old red" is kentsh wheat, aud there
| is no doubt but that il is subje 10 fewer dis
eases that many other varieties The very year
in which drew my last crop of yellow Lam
mas, ;" almost all the resi- Of my wheat was OF
the " old red stock and though do not mean
| 10 say il wholly escaped the " Red Robin GER
lain il is the injury II received from tlat cause
was tridiag compared VITA that sustained by
! the former sort.
Here then we seem TO have a proof ofthe-
error of Mr.. Sherif's position, that " the fly
ravages all varieties Unfortunately = and we
also arrive at another important conclusion,
viz: that the quality of the wheat Itself Is TO-
tally changed by soil and climate. Yellow
Lamnas certainly does well in Lancashire.
| but it does not appear TO succeed IN Norfolk
il becomes different grain altogether, aud
runs completely uway from the parent stock.
| cannot help thinking but offer the sugges-
ton in all humility, that there is more connect
ton between the ." Red Robin" aud the mil |
dew, thanis usually supposed TO exist, at least,
many OF the circumstances attendant on the
one seem also to ATTEND the other, and partic-
uIarly a loose soil, rich enough 10 send forth
an abundance OF straw, yet wanting tenacity 10
produce a plump. sound grain. In such case.
we are almost sure of meeting witt! mde~, aud
| lis frequent miohi [ moi add. lnYArlahla aiten |