Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-08-15
AGRICULTURE.
From The Livingston Courier


From the Livingston Cour.er)
Rust in Wheat - Tie Cause.-The Rsmtdy.-maay
farmer has had his fair prospects and high hopes oil az
abundant crop entirely blasted ana overthrow" JUS,
h fields were becoming white for the harvest, by the
dasrnctye effects OF The cause OF rust IN wheat
has of late excited considerable attention. and the most
and best supported opinion seems 70 oe tha
il is owing to Plethora an excessive quantty OF hou
rishment or sap produced perhaps by peculiarly Ia
yorabe condition Of the atmosphere IN connexion some
,;mes with an over rich soil The sap bursts through
the straw producing short Sits, which may De seen
with the naked eve by close examination IL eSuoeS
through these sits and the rust and although It IS
sometimes black and sometimes yellow, and again
brown this is accounted for by the rpeness OF the
prain or the fruitlessness of the sap The rust al
most universally ust al the critical time o'
pennp; and the loss OF the sap just at thus time
undoubtedly the true cause OF the shrinking Oh Tue
gram. o. r.
President OF The New jersey Agricultural Society, are
worthy Of attentive consideration. tie says; ION my
neighbor White farm years since was one OF tue
heaviest pieces of wheat straw ever saw, remarkably
fine and nearly ripe had also good piece advancing
fast to mauriy-ona close warm morning small cloud
of fog arose from the meadow and gradually covered
the two fields, but was not general log; being very
STILL il lowered the fields until the hot sun dssl.
pated the vapor. | was alarmed for the wheat ano
watched over il with deep interest. When the sun
had some dried the straw and warmed 1t, the straw
BEGAN TO burst with continual ticking NOISE, ana Inc
sap to exude from NIL thu little Sits. in day or two,
the fields were black with rust except some small spots
which are worthy of notlcs-an acre or two ot mine
was nearly ripe and not much niured-and the rust
upon that was Of reddish brown. In Mr.. Whites
field, there some trees which kept the intense
heat of the from small part of the ield there was
toerable wheat ALSO The rest of the fields were hardly
worth harvesting
So much for the cause, now for the remedy. am
confident that no remedy has vet been devised which
be uPon as sure preventive; but there are
preventive means which may be used to good advan-
tape have no doubt, aud Of these would recomme nd
the following:
lst. Deep ploughing. And this | am confident
should be more generally attended for all crops; but
the peculiar advantage with regard to wheat IS that
the roots thus permitted 10 extend themselves so
deep into the SOIL that sudden atmospheric action will
not affect the crop and If iermentab!e manures have
been applied 10 the land, they too will be buried so
deep as not TO produce bad consequences from the
same cause.
I'd. The application Of saline mnnureS, such as mari,
lime or plaster.
Sd. If the soil is not naturally dry, make it SO by
draining.
4th. Earlier sowing, and sowing earlier kinds Of
wheat-we much of,ener have the peculiarly unfa-
vorable weather for wheat the middle of July, than the
first.
9Th If, after all, it does rust, cut it soon as the
grains thoroughly formed, even when in the milk
BY dong so, the is much better, and the grain
quite good. Nay, much better than II lett to stand
in the field, and rpen upon rusted stalks
(Erom Tie Michigan Farmer.l
A CRATER or HARyEsTiNG.-Mr. Editor The
season is near at hand with farmers, when time is the
most valuable 10 them OF any period OF the year al
season the farmer more truly say, "ltmc Is
money" than in wheat harvest II wheat is allowed
to stand until 1t too ripe, before harvest commences
everything niust be done in hurry. The wheat shes
badly, and much of it falls down, and is lost Also,
ft s rusty, the kernel becomes shrunk, woody ana
light, and is nearly ruined.
There are many different opinions among farmers IN
regard to the proper time for cutting wheat. some
think 1t must be ripe, that the head Will curl down.
and shell WE'LL while others contend, thatt shond De
done before this the case and, in my OPINION near.
y all neglec, it too long, and thereby lose much OF
their grain. From my own experience and ooserVa-
ton, wheat ready to cut when the stalk has become
yellow, ripe, eight inches below the nead.
always begin to cut my wheat when the joints are
green and before head in the field will shell by rub
bling in the hand or when the hardest kernee can be
mashed between the thumb and finger. Wheat cut al
this time will shrink tle but shrinks into round
plump, cyrstal berry, free from that hollow-sded
wooly look and bad color that late cut wheat invariably
has, and also loses nothing by Smelling.
If wheat is smutty, much is gained by early cutting
Then but few of the smut kernels break in threshing
and those that do break, instead of making dust,
main in kernels, like coarse powder, which 10 not the
case with we'll ripened smut, which nearly all becomes
powdered 10 dust in threshing, colors lhe wheat, ano
INJURIES it for market, as think &nany will remember
from last years experience, and will from that OF this
year, aso II the matter ia not attended to in season.
When wheat is badly rusted II ready TO cut, green
ripe. Some have oheconsto early cutting, think
ing, that f wet weather should before the ker
mel becomes dry, 1t would be likely to grow-but
have known this to be the where wheat
well set up The best way to set up wheat in the
field, that have ever practised Observed is this
Take two bundles, with the band heads turned nwards
and set them up with the butts, far enough apart sc
that the heads will lean well together and form
plete ridge-if the bands uneven on the outside
the part should be drawn upward 10 form
the rdge--then proceed and finish the sock by set
ting up the bundles two and two, above directed
placing them as closely as possible, and being careful
to make every two bundles support themselves, for
stock Of wheat should lean together lengthwss
Wheat sci up this way will stand during long rams
with but little injury Wheat that is cut green, should
be loosely bound that il may have chance TO curl
well, and should also be well cured before il is put
into the NOV stack. A. REY NOLDS.
Hanover, July 10, lS43.
A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT IN CoRN PLANTING
On recent visit to the farm of B. R. Smith, Esq /,
near the Race Course, was gratied at his in
planting this important pile of country aording
additional evidence OF the superior advantages of
scientific culture that of the common routine pur
sued, for ages past, by the planters Of our country
Mr. Smith is not professionally PLANTER but a ,ner.
chant-devo voting his few leisure hours to the cul;ya.
ton Of his farm. Differing from those who regard
book farming las it is called as only another name
for visionary speculaions he is constant reader Of
agricultural Observation-Disclosures TO profit by the dis
coveries of others-and possessing sound judgment,
is able 10 decide on such modes of culture best
adapted to the nature Of the soil and the plants he cu
tvates.
On the last year, much surprise was expressed BY