The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-10-31
The Farmer.
From the Buffalo Commercial
IMPROVEMENT AND PRoPAG CATION OF
WHEAT


IMPROVEMENT AND PRoPA CATION OF
WHEAT.
u,,i,r in former articles alluded to the elements
,,hi,ha soil must contain to yield large crop of
,bo,o wheat, we now ask the readers attention TO
. e,v remarks on the improvement Of this plant
hv nuvuing course ofskful and scientific propaga-
ton.
Eish years ago Col. Lecoutour, of the Island of
Jersey. commenced a regular series of experiments
bv selecting the largest and finest heads Of wheat,
FINN our,een Of the most esteemed varieties and by
Gucliyns the germs of each head by the pollen from
another head, and continual crossings not only with
each other, but with every variety he could obtain
from any distant quarter of tho world taking care TO
breed portion Oreach kind perfectly remote and
by ITSELF he obtained in 1910, $50 varieties of this
plant
These experiments which were conducted with the
utmost care, demonstrated the important fact that the
same soil, the same elements operated upon external
" alike, produced very different results in the differ
ent varieties Of wheat in regard to wheat straw w eight
BRAN weight of flour, and weight ofgood bread
which The different kinds OF -four would make. Thus
%
wheat, and lbs. OF, straw; and SO kernels of
wheat had been regarded as choice variety of red
what gave only lib. 10 or. of wheat and 2bs. 5 o.
straw We will not trouble the reader with the de-
tails of numerous experiments, most OF which were
conducted by destroying all the piss on head that
stood by itself remote from others which was fruct-
fed by the pollen of the kind from which cross was
COnlbinin1 all fha r.
pTOpra'e SOIL with long continued physiological i'm
Povemerts, Mr. h. has succeeded in obtaining over
two thousand lonr hundred pounds of superfne flour
from an acre of wheat that gave only 542 lbs orbran
And fom,ho large der cent of gluten contained in
this flour vii. make from to IL per cent, more
good bread than the best OF common Hour.
Every body knows that different breeds Of pigs and
other domestic animals have different organic powers
Of esbacng muscle, fat and hone, from any given
amount Of food; aud that the natural powers may be
greatly impaired greatly improved by good or bad
management This is equally true Of all vegetables,
and especially of wheat, which in its present cond-
Ton may be regarded as an artificial product,--Many
farmers, however, seem to imagine that if they pur-
chase at high price an improved variety of wheat,
com, oats, potatoes, or of cattle, sheep, swine or
h0"es' nothing more is necessary. If they cannot
flourish on the same keeping that starved their pre-
aeces'ors to death, their pretended superiority is all
nun0us' We regret TO say that it is the profound
ignorance of too many cutvators of the soil which
'enaes them so liable to imposition on the one hand,
una on The other so poorly able to avail themselves of
"e improvements brought within their reach. veu-
e'O'e and animal physiology and agricultural chem
"y must be studied and well understood to prevent
s'e"' and perhaps ruinous deter ioration Of farms
"u '"e' We setable and animal products. Nothing is
"''s s0Sy Than to improve the quality of wheat by
'"u' Popasatlon but the food of the plant must be
'"ue 10 cooperate in effecting the desired result
e' farmer go into the finest wheat field he can find
anu So'ect the earliest and the most weighty heads
III Seea'-lhls should be well washed in strong I
'a' prime to remove all parasitic seeds. larym Of
&C. and then rolled in quick lime before sow
w. 1--WE one half acre, ir no more, top dressing
- ~ ouShes oil lime, 20 of house ashes, and 40 of
'O"eflsed charcoal In addition to this DRESSING
"a''e'S Of urine would be Of essential service, if
qua'y distributed over the ground
,"e SOIL should be free from the seeds of weeds. |
"u III other seed than that of good wheat should be
'""' Wheat thus cultivated would never turn into
'' and all the elements applied to the soil, not
'eu INTO wheat in the first crop, would remain |
supply second and third.