Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-08-28


| NJ. Dombasle, the celebrated French
agriculturist, prefers a wash made Of Glaub
er salts, the seed to bo soaked in this three
or four hours and then dried ia eaustic
lime. This would not be materially dit.
ferent from the practice now so common
of washing or rather soaking the seed
wheat in brine, aud then drying it with
quick lime, a practice we can unhes Eating
ly recommend 10 every wheat grower.--
Lot the brine be strong enough to float all
light or detective seeds, and after thor
ough soaking, drain the seed slightly, pour
it upon floor, aud dry il with newly
s,aked lime, as or the elasticity Of this,
much Of the benefit Of lining is depend
ing. We have tried drying brined wheat
with gypsum instead Of lime, but SO far
as the smut was concerned. il was de-
cided failure. That part of the field sown
with the gypsumed seed was about the
smuttest wheat we ever saw, while that
part which was lined was perfectly free
and pure. In addition 10 the advantages
OF lining wheat for the prevention Of smut,
we are convinced that alkaline substances,
such as lime, soda, wood I've, &C.. perform
an important part in aiding the termination
of the seed, by converting the deposl, OF
nourishment which nature has provided
in the seed itself in the shape OF starch,
flour, gum, or mucilage, into substance
suitable for food Of the young plant, more
quickly than would be done il not thus
aided. Every person who has made the
experiment with seeds prepared with
lime, and those unprepared, must have
been surprised at the difference in the time
or their coming up, and tho Of vlgoi Of
their growth. Thus beet or turnap seed
soaked and part dried in lime, aud the
other sowed without, has been found to
have the advantage altogether on the side
of the lined part and the same result
will BIO had in the preparation of wheat.
NJ. Mal,ereu, in a series of experiments
on the termination Of seeds, found that
they terminated much quicker in alkaline
solutions than in acides that they ger
inmate sooner at the negative or alkaline
pole Of galvanic battery, than at the
positive or acid one and as gavanic or
electric agency is now known to exert
powerful influence over vegetation, it can
scarce be doubted that the alkaline egen.
cy is exerted in this way in the chemical
changes necessary to fit the starch, gum,
&c. for the food Of the young plant.
STATE OF THE SoIL.-Thc state Of the
soil, and the manner OF putting in the seed
wheat, exercises great influence on the
growth OF the plant, and the success or fail
ure the crop. Unless 10 the very light
test soils, whea, should never DO sown
while the ground is wet from recent rains.
for though moisture is essential to germi
nation, :he excess OF it is most injurious.
Tenacious soils especially, and those are
the best for wheat In which some clay,
which gives tcnacity, is found will not
endure working while wet. and to sow
seeds on such soils, while in that coEd-
ton, is to throw away the chance Of
good crop. The soil for the seed bed
should be fne, work freely and without
any tendency to compaetness, and if the re-
quisite degree of moisture be present,
which rarely fails Of being the case, the
seed viii rarely fail of terminating well.
OONEhlNG THE OEE - iidN llttlOu vi
covering the seed will be best which place
it moat certainly and equally at the pro.
per depth. Wheat will grow in some soils
from a much greater depth than in others,
bu. many experiments aud experience
shows that from to inches in ordinary
soils is Abou; the depth at which it sue
ceeds tho best. Wheat has two sets Of
roots, one forming at the seed, and the
other near the surface. Il the distance
from the seed to the surface is too great,
the connecting stem between the sets Of
roots is attenuated and not strong enough
TOR ihe vigor Of the plant; if the seed is
too shallow, the two sets OF roots are
crowded together, and their extent Of
space from which 10 draw nourishmeut
much diminished. We hive found those
plants apparently the most vigorous in
which the length Of the connecting stem
was about , inches; where il was or 3,
the effect was clearly injurious. Some
farmers use the harrow altogether for Gov
ering seeds, others prefer the plow We
think the plow the best where care is taxi
en- to give no more than the proper depth,
and make the burrows fine. Il covers the
seed moro completely, and ensures great
er equality in the depth than the harrow,
but the process IS so much the more tedious
that few farmers are willing 10 use the
pIow as much as this method requires.
and of course prefer the harrow We
have seen an implement made something
in the form Of an old fashioned harrow,
with cutivator teeth These moved the
ground to about tho required depth, cover
ed tae seed we'll, and greatly facilitated
the work. The wheat crop is of SO much |
consequence totha farmer and to tho coun-
try, that every thing relating to it demands |
care in selecting the best methods, and |
experiment and well detected I
observation in the production Of the crop. |
lMPRoyING COARSE llAy.--lt often
happens that farmers have certain wet por
lions Of their meadows occupied with \
coarse grass aud weeds which are cat al