Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-04-07
Oh farnler
Chdss in Wheat,

VI JjttNhNillr 1lils
My preseIit obieetfis I'd state some
ftets concern ing the culture Of wheat,
in opposition 70 the belief that wheat
vii change TO Oh ess.
This MOTTO b, OF ice so prevalent, has,
if ! mistake net lost many Of its adj
vocates since the days Of better farm
ing have ONE, and, I believe, will
some. day be entirely exploded. tt
is very convenient theory, though, to
cover up the faults Of ca rele4s wheat
culture, and many advocates of it
viii still, no doubt, be found among
those who will not take the trouble
TO fully test the matter. NJ pch time
viii be required to wholly Hisprove
the theory. The greater ? prtion of
wheat is full of chess, and consider
able labor is necessary to separate
them. The fields, too, bre fall of it;
for successive crops have fallen upon
them, and it has often been 50 wn there.
It is known to be hardy plant, the
seeds Of which wiHprobably terminate
after haying lai D in the ground sew
eral years. That seeds of hany va
rieties will thu lie in the ground FOR.
a long period, and the n send forth.
their plants, is an undispdted fact:
For instance, e very farmer lkno ws that
white clover " III spring up abundant
" in fields VIII ERE none has grown on
been sown for five or len years, and
where it must have lain in the earth
during the wi ole period, unless We
adopt a still NJ ORE eHtr RVagant theory,
than that viii h we hat been consid-
ering, and Suppose that not only
wheat, but cbr1, rye, oats, barley,
pumpkins. and potatoes, all change
to chess. 1t Is aenrious fact IN point
here, that wheat found in the folds
of linen enclosing an Egyptian mum
my, germinated and grew luxurlant-
", though it had, doubtless, been y
ing there 5000 years This fact has
been several times published. | am
clearly Of tile apini On that if no
chess was in dur fields, and none were
ever sown in them, Or carried there
by birds or otheg animals, We would
never again Hear Of such a change as
Of wheat to chess, even though oil
the seed sown we're shrivel I'd. (as was
the case in 1882 OF sown on the top
of the ground, or injured BY . severe
winter. or pastured OF in the spring
all of them supposed to contribute
to this result. ! viii state s3meQf
the facts which produced in me such
q conviction bf the truth Of the above
opinion, that conclusive testimony a
lone could change it.
my father determined to raise wheat
along. instead Of wheat, rye, chess,
and even cookie, as he and his neigh
bors had been doing. The rye, be
ING taller than the wheat, was easily
destroyed by cut ing it out before
harvest and the cookie was likewise
overcome AS to destroying the
chess. the neighborB laughed at him,
sayina that the firstIhardwinter would
.rain change the wheat to chess, and
liz lbbor would all be lost. Never
tbeldss he undertook the experiment.
T was then a youth at home. We
n;cl.ed The seed carefully, head by
hoa1 Lest a single grain might
bavo ootintoit.we run it two or three
times through fan ning-mlll contain
mo- . Good Screen, each time entirely
sonarafino the screenings f1om the
Soed W. then sow4d it on the clean
ost aroDnd we had. We " nt through
s;D,;lDr nrocess the two succeedingI
T.o.rs Whenever h head or grain of
hess was found in harvea ting,thresh-
H. or w;nnowino the wheat, it was
aa 49, 5G1lv nocketed. carried to a fire,
and burned. , BY this time It was ali
no1st ciaar Of the noxious weed and
wonla have been entirely SO, | have
80 Ionbt had there been none Of the
aood IN tbe ground. Aftd this, ii
,rae only necessary to screen the seed
w." :. o,,ler 70 secure a drop Of al
most nure wheat. Sey4ral years
10 nassed since then, aud | think
] may safely say that not + gram CT
wheat has changed to ehe7 5 on 9ilat
farm, though it has been eK posed to TO
all the casualties that are commonly
eehP oroo vontnre the pred elton that
not a grain ever will change II t mat
.I'o MI tba circumstances Of sowing,
w WIZ .t ~. oboracter of the " inter may
' %l.s'' b ~, what ca ualities may have
h li,'sI ;t-s,,ch ls cattle pasturing
II. or fly eating 1.-THE result L has
been invariably the same'I as l1[ az
chess was concerned, almqst eh'ire
freedom from it. Our pe'gnpors' !