Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-08-29
for tBe farmer.
SPROUTED WHEAT.


damage done by the rain 10 the harvested
and unharvested crops of grain and hay.
1t is not at all surprising that every farm
er should measure his own and his neigh
boris crops in the same half bushel, and
whenever The sprouts have appeared, not
only think himselftotally ruined, but also
believe famine inevitable.
Let us look at the prospect fairly
There is no ~Gisputing the fact that in all
the wheat region north of lat. al the
wheat. either cut or uncut, is badly
sprouted. How great the damage is, it is
difficult to determine, as pany farmers
have no precedent 10 Judge by, not hav-
ing had such q season for several years.
Indeed, we remember only one-it was in
the year 1886, though the worst of the
wet weather came somewhat later.
That year the wheat was mostly cu''
in shocks in the field or in STACKS In
the great wheat regions of Ohio, Indian
M. Illinois. the farmers quite generally
declared the crop to be totally ruined.
I, soo,e fields it did look so, for when it
wos uncut the yellow heads assumed a
green shade. and The shocks and stacks
became green on the surface as the ad-
joining pastures. In due time, however,
the raining period was over, the sprouts
died, the standing grain was cut, the
shocks stacked or thrashed. the stacks
lost their bright heavy hue and stood a
rusty looking mass of dry, weather. beaten
straw /; and yet-mark The resull-lhe
wheat inside was as bright and sound as
ever. So slight was the injury that it
was hardly perceptible in the final
result. The shocks and standing grain
were more injured, but not ten per cent.
of grain was destroyed.
When wheat is s%prouted, a good win
nowing-machine will remove most of the
injured kernels, which make excellent
feed for animals. If there be a predomi-
nance of sprouted grain in the grist going
to mill, it is not spoiled for food it is only
spoiled for light bread. The dough, in
stead of rising by the ordinary process,
has a tendency TO liquify and spread out
and form a sticking mass that will not be
kneaded into loaves. 1t makes good I'M
leavened bread, and is quite nutritious,
with a swedish taste. Many persons
prefer bread made from sprouted wheat,
but in market the least appearance of
grown kernels will iniure the sale. Some
millers even contend that one per cent. of
such kernels vii. injure the quality of the
whole. 1t is therefore importan: to the
farmer that he should be very careful to
keep the sprouted sheaves separate from
The sound and should also separate the
sound from the unsound grain in winnow-
ing, as far as possible.
The injury of rain upon wheat is quite
overrated in this country, because we are
not well used to ii-our harvest weather
beng usually so fine that the straw re-
tains its golden brightness till it has been
thrashed. Not So in England. There
the rains are often so incessant that sprout-
ed wheat is very common, and the bust
ness of shocking or stacking the sheaves
is an art that commands higher wages
thar reaping. There the stacks are
always matched TO preserve them from
sprouling on the outside, and often built
hollow to dry them on the inside. Our
wheat is often exposed to complete soak
ines. Much of that grown il the west is
thrashed on the ground, and often lies in
a pile through a long rain, and if a warm
one, some of the outside grains are sprout
ed but the inside of the pile is uninjured.
The Danubian wheat-boats are without
roofs the grain is piled up in a pile
rounded on top, and exposed to all the
rains that fall during a long voyage. If
the weather be warm, the outside grows
: and mats together some inches deep, and
that protects the remainder. The worst
of the %sprouted part is only fit for beasts,
while that but slightly sprouted sells as
food for man, and that below the wetied
crust is fiji for shipment 10 France or Eng
land.
We have no doubt that the grain is
injured by the present wet spell, some &C
counts of which we continue to give but
it is not utterly ~ruinous." We doubt
whether farmers do not gain more in 9TH
er crops than they will lose in wheat by
the rains. Meantime let US consle our.
selves that we are not likely TO be desti.
tuie of wheat. A trustworthy writel
makes an estimate 6 that Ohio will yielc
The present season twenty-five millions
of bushels, Illinois eighteen millions, Wis
consin Ten millions, Michigan eight mil
lions, and Pennsylvania twenty millions
There is no prospect ola famine.--N. Y
Tribune.
HAY FOR COWS IN SUMMER.
An ohservi,r inteIioen, and s,,cceSs