The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1855-08-04
SPROUTED WHEAT.


this and adjoining States about the damage
done by the rain to the harvested crops Of
grain and hay. 1t is not at all surprising
tina every farmer should measure his own and
his neighbor's crops in the same halfbusllel.
and whenever the sprouts have appeared, not
only think himself totally ruined but also be-
lievc famine to he inevitable.
Let us look at the prospect fairly. There
is no dispu.ing the fact that in all the wheat
region north Of lat. Al degrees the wheat.
either cut or uncut is badly sploutcd How
great the damage is it is difficult to deter.
mine, AS many farmers have no precedent to
Judge by, not having had such season for
several years. Indeed, we remember only
one-it was in the year 1886, though the
worst Of the wet weather came aoincM hat
later.
That year the wheat was mostly cut, and
in shocks i'll the field or in stacks. In the
great wheat regions Of Ohio, Indiana. and
illinois. the farmers quite generally declared
the crop to be totally ruined. In some fields
it did look SO, for when it wa. uncut the vel
low heads assumed green Shade, and the
shocks and stacks became as green on the
surface as the adjoining pastures In due
time, however, the raining period was over,
the sprouts died, the standing grain was cut
the shocks stacked OF thraslied, the stacks
lot their bright yellow hue and ST ol rusty
looking mass Of dry, weathcr-bca,en straw
and yct-mark the result-the wheat inside
was as bright and sound as ever. So slight
was the injury that it was hardly pcrcep,iblc
i'll the final result. The shocks and standing
grain were more injured but not ten per
| cent of the grain was destroyed.
W hen wheat is SprOut,d n good winnow-
| machine VIII remove most of the injured
kernels which make excellent feed for animals.
If there be prcdolnilancc Of sproutcd grains
III the srist that goes TO MILL it is not spoiled
for food it is only spoiled for light bread
The dough, instead Of rising by the ordinary
process. has tendency to liIuify and spread
out and form Il stickin. mass that will not he
knea,ed into loaycs. 1t makes good uncav-
cncd bread, and is quite nutritious, with ii
swedish taste. by many persons bread
made of sproutcd whoa. is preferred. but in
market the least appearance Of grown kerr
nels will injurc the sale. Some millrrs even
contend that one per cent Of such kernels
will injurr the quality Of the whole. 1t is
! therefore important to the farmer that he
should be very careful to keep the Sprnut,d
shcaycS srl,ciatc from the sound, and should
also Scpciate the sound from the u,lsvund
graln i'll winnowing, as far as possible.
The injury of rain upon wheat is quite
ovc,ratcd in this country. because we are not
well used to t-our harvest weather being
usually ~ fine that the straw retains its
golden brightness till it has been thra>h,d.
Not so in England. There the rains are Of
ten SO inccsssant that spsouttd wheat is very
common. and the business Of shocking or
stacking the sll,avcS is IN art that command,
higher wages than rcaping. There the stacks
are always matched to preserve them from
Sprouting ON the outside, and often built hol-
low to dry them OH the inSd. In this coun-
try VIC are much more carrl,ss. Our wheat
is often exposed to complete soakngs. Much
Of that grown in the West is tllashad on the
ground, and often hes in a pile through Il
long rain, and if warm one, SOME of the
outside grains are sprout.d, but the inside Of
the pile is HninjuI,d.
The Danubian wheat. boats are without
roofs; the grain is piled up in a lrap round, d
on top, and exposed TO all the rains that fall
during long voyrec. II the weather be
warm, the outside grows ami mats together
some inches deep, anrs that protects the re-.
halndcr. The worst OF the Spront,d part j.,
only fit for beasts. while that but slightly
Sproutcd sells as food for man. and that
below the wcttcd crust is fit Tor shipment Ia
France or England.
We have no doubt that tic grain is injured
10y the present wet spell. some accounts OF
which We continue to give: h,lt it rs not
utterly ruinous." We may doubt whether
farmers do not gain more in other crops than
they VIII lose i'll wheat by the rains. Mean
time let us console ourselves that we are not
likely to be destitute of wheat. \ tr,,st.
worthy writer makes an estimate "that Ohio
VIII yield the present season twenty-five mil
lions Of bushels, Illinois eighteen millions
W isconsin ten millions. Michigan eight mil.
lions, and PcnnSy lvania twenty milio,,s."-
There is no prospect Of faniiuc.-N. Y. Tri
b'uc.