Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-01-14

which the parent grain had been formed. Through the
winterh grew well-made a very fine show IN the spring,
Out ABOUT tue last OF April i discovered, very much 10 my
moruhcalon, that the whole luxuriant prospect was (0
ehea,. so turned out--at harvestno am ear Of wheat
was 10 be found. i say l discovered my failure i'm the
month of April. At this season OF the wear, when the
shoots are beginning To rise from the ground, the spurious
plant may easily be distinguished from the genuine by
uer dhierent complcNon, and by u certain roughneSs
appearing on the blade OF the former, which does not be-
long to the latter, lfI have not tired YOU already, let
me mention another experiment of similar result I'm
the fall of 1926, | seeded, on new land. from which
l had just gathered lis first crop, (eorn) some oats
generally called g winter oats. I" They grew finely
I 1nl an intense irost set in, in the month OF January
Ihis frost continued with undated rigor for thirty DAYS,
az inc expiration OF which my oats appeared to be utterly
destroyed, except upon a narrow strip running across the
D'' oil a nature more moist than the remnant of the ground.
1.pon this strip the oats survived and did well, but upon
uhe rest oil the lot not a green vestige appeared. Howey-
er' ABOUT a month afterwards, L observed abundant signs
81 renovation i'm the mulitudes of Young shoots spri9~
lngIno' out OF the earth, as if Liberated by the destruction
- 'heir competitor, the oatS--but from the Joints of the
FORMER plants. The whole lot put on "A renewed lux,ri-
ahce anu gave promise of a most abundant crop; and so il
was, but, with the exception of the aloremen,ioncd s,r;n
1t was chedt-all cheat. Row, Mr.. Editor. here are ca
SEES, which, in behalf of the popular belief. sneak RIO me-
WIN a' the force OF a qWod erat Reconsideration. But
o,, II may happen TO my demonstration rs il has happen.
ed lately TO your friend DR.. Harden's, i'm the bot cass-a
proc. iairiy conclusive, because founded Oh actual expert
n'e"'' II IA very best experiment of which the case
man points in a single instance. TyRo
ChEAr OR CtEss.-We thank our correspondent" CIV
TO- Tor his communication on the subject OF wheat turn.
ing TO cheat. Notwithstanding the strong circums,on,;,I
evidence he adducesin support of the popular belief Thai
SneatS deScnerated wheat, we arc still unconvinced.-
/, &c i1ct ne states, however, of the cheat plant growing
from The joints Of the injured oats, if there be no mistake
ABOUT II, comes nearer TO a demonstration OF the theory.
man any thing we have yet seen. But here another al.
hculty presents itself: oats and wheat are very diG,rcn,
plants; and II seems altogether beyond human crcdulitv
A. na 11uy or any oihcr cause could make them boh
W. ~ themselves OF their individual characters. and puf
on me same, and those, too, of a new and entirely dine.
rent plant. II an injury, either from the weather or other
cause were capable of changing the Character of =
plant, we should suppose, that different plants Tins
aneeted' would assume different characters; but Ger
sainly we should not expect them all TO assume iIen,;oaI
ohes' Inc popular belief is unsupported by Analogy. so
lar as we are informed. No other plant has cvcr - o vU
knowledge, been suspected of being metamorphosed into
d uuercht ono by any cause whatever. Injury from tho
weather and all other causes, affects the bcoItb or tho tico
oil all other plants, but never changes them TO nthc, nl,n,s
n ~ oniy way py winch we deem it possible that cheat
can D { me produce OF wheat or oats, is by hudridiseuenf
IL is possible that wheat while in flower. may become i'm.
pregnated by the pollen of some other plant near il; that
te seeds oil the wheat would not be changed in its Nm
pearancc; and that when sown, the plant PRODUCED from
II would be a hybrid between the wheat and The otber
parent plant, and. that this hybrid is cheat The ~ un
oniy mode we can deem at all plausible by which wheat,
o'S; rye or other plants can produce cheat.
we cannot pretend 10 explain how the cheat nav have
now a plant of cheatcould have grown from The ioin,s 81
ms oa's. But the absence of an explanation in this cosois
e ecr "o LIT we WI agree to furnish one, however, when
y = VIC s'" pc informed of the original of white clover
o. pine growths, OF cherry trees, SC. all of which ar,
. 10 sPring up, spontaneously in different parts of the
country, when fields are thrown into pasture arJ ~mo,u .e
OF other timber cut oil. In the case of the cheat 6rou W.
no.n' e FONTS OIL the oats, we must be permitted TO ask oIT
much respected correspondent, if it is not possibIc he Oou
nave mistaken the plants Might not the plants from from thy
Wn ni IOon whleh the cheat grew, have been originally cheat
. . ~ ne Is more anxious for the triumph of tri,tb ,Lon
Tor the establishment of a favorite theory and tba, ho
%ouI nor asSerta as matter of fact that of which he had the
IouoI' putt IN this instance, we beg leave to saw. VIC
If n"t ii nus ,5 nave been mistaken. There is an easy way
81 pu.un uils matter to rest, and we have made arrange
,ne,i ior a trial OF it-not for our own information but for
natch D. 90 S'n "n we have no doubts on the subject. Let a
o 1 perfectly clean wheat be sown-the seed 70 bc
rom a neId where there was no cheat or other noy-
A. III a"hC by inc side Off LEI a patch OF cheat be sown.
~ ~ proper season, let one half of the wheat be laccrat-
~ "Hu 9roSeh down, and the other half protected from in.
! inc injured part of the wheat or any other nro-
ne PuPuIar oeiief.-Edtor Of a. Farm.