Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-09-18

sown differs much in different parts Of this
country and in Europe. Perhaps the
English use greater amount Of seed
than any other people, and their crops
are certainly not often excelled. From
two and half TO four bushels per acre
are there used; while here the quantity
varies from one to Two and half bushels
per acre. The general quantity is about
bushel and hall. Where wheat is
sown late, more seed is required, as the
wheat does not tiler or spread as much as
when sown early; and when the berry is
unusually plump and full, more is requir-
ed than when the kernel is lighter. AS
on soils 100, that are not rich, single
plant will not throw out as many stalks
as where the land is very rich and fertile,
it would seem that on such lands more
seed would be necessary TO seed It proper
ly; as it 10 clear that where but one or
two stalks shoot from root, these must
be more numerous than when root pro.
duces halt dozeE.
Opinions among farmers have been
somewhat variant on the subject of chang
ing seed; but we think unless more pains
is taken to originate and preserve good
seed on farm, than now usually is, there
is essential benefit derived from such
changes. Wheat is certain to succeed bet
ter on lands not naturally adapted TO its
production, when the seed is brought from
q good wheat soil or district. For many
years the farmers Of large sections Of the
western district OF New. York, where the
wheat crop at that time was apt TO fail or
smut, found a profit in sending some
twenty or forty miles to procure seed from
the best grain districts, ano the crop from
such wheat rarely failed in producing
grain of good qualify. There 10 also
decided advantage secured in bringing
seed from lower land and milder climate,
to elevated lands, or cold moist climate.
Such change Of seed renders the noun
tain crop earlier and better than it would
be if seed from the same neighborhood
was used. Professor Brown has on this
subject the following remarks, which are
undoubtedly correct, as they are founded
on the experience OF husbandmen in the
high aud low lands of Scotland:
"We are convinced that the cultvator
of a mountainous district, if he always
used seed from his own crops, would reap
later and later barvests, so that at last
they would with difficulty be brought to
maturity /; a circumstance easily explain
ed by the compa rative shortness of sum-
mers in mountain districts. II, on the
other hand, the cultivstor Of fiat coun-
try, the climate OF which is mild, and the
soil dry and light, continually made use
Of his own seed, it would head every year
sooner, the stalks would become shorter.
and the heads and grain smaller and
smaller, and in lime there would result
but poor produce. In this last case,
the cultivator brings his seed with advan.
,age from a country or district more cold,
the soil Of which is good and substantial"
The instances in which benefit has
been derived, on what are called beech
and maple lands, by using seed from oak
lands, are SO numerous that almost every
one must be familiar with them. The
advantages in this case, however we may
choose to explain them, cannot with pro.
priety be disputed.
As to the time OF sowing wheat, it may
be remarked, that very early sown wheat
gets more firmly rooted, than later sown,
and 10 consequence is less liable to inju-
ny from freezing out. Wheat may be
sown so late as not to germlnate until the
severity of the winter ispas,, or the great.
es, danger from frost is gone by; but such
late sown wheat is far more liable TO the
attacks of blight or rust than that which
ripens early, or which is so far advanced
before the close, hot, showery weather,
that marks the advent Of blight commen-
ces, as TO be safe from injury. On the
other hand, late sown wheat is very GER
tain to escape the tessan fly, which in
some parts Of the country is the greatest
enemy wheat has to encounter. Ii would
seem then, that where wheat is liable to
wnterkil or blight, early sowing is to be
preferreJ and that where the fly is pre-
valent, sowing should be delayed as long
as possible. II may be added, that some
experiments would seem 10 prove, that IN
districts where the wheat worm has been
SO fatal to spring wheat, very late sowing,
by delaying the caring OF the wheat un-
I'll the period ofthe worm fly was passed,
would preserve the crop.
There is more wheat lost to the hus.
bandman from The single cause Of winter
killing, or freezing out of the ground in
the winter or spring, than there is in this
country from all other causes put iogeth-
err. The worst period is IN the months
Of February or March, where the ground
is bare of snow, and thawing mild days
are succeeded by sharp freezing nights.
This freezing expands the surface water,
lifts the roots from their place little at
each time, and by successive freezing and
leaves the plant without any
hold upon the soil, and consequently 10
perish. Heavy soils are more apt to win
'erkill grain, than gravelly, or light ones,
rs these can retain little water. ltwould
seem to be necessary inference, then,
hat thorough draining such soils as are