American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-12-03

CLEANING SEED WHEAT.

John Johnston, Of Geneva, one of
tho most thorough and successful farm.
ers in this country, as all our readers
know says he quit raising chess twenty
eight years ago-by never sowing it.
llc has not raised 5ushel of it in all
THAT time on his extensive wheat farm.
Ihirty-seven years ago he obtained
eight bushels of chess in every hundred
of wheat. His mode of cleaning seeds is
the same IN Substance that we prac-
tlsed thirty years ago, but will bear
repetition, and wc therefore give it as
recently described by him:
My plan is to take out the tanning
mill riddles, some call them screens;
call the lower one only screen-it
takes out mustard seed and cookie in
part. After the riddles are out, take
of the shaking rod, or at least the one
nearest the wings or fans: then lot one
man turn the wings or fans by the
crank or handle, as usual; let another
pour the wheat into the hopper from
basket or any other vessel-a tin pail
answers very wcll--lct him pour the
wheat in regularly and not very fast,
II much chess. Let the man turning
keep upa steady wind, he need not turn
very fast, if much chess. Have 4 boy,
or girl, or man, or a woman, if you
chose, to take back the clean wheat as
1t comes down from the mill, and Twill
garantec that every chess seed will be
blown out. The man pouring in the
wheat ought to be tho boss. to mako
sure that tho man turning does not
slack up too much, or that he don't
stop turning until the wheat and chess
are all out Of the hopper, else it may
fall down amongst the clean wheat
If the wheat is 90 lbs. to the bushel or
over, very little if any, will be blown
out with the chess. A considerable
quantity will lay or the cookie and
mustard screen; when that is going
to be put down, it is safest to scrapc
back the upper part with the hand,
because If there is chess anywhere
amongst the wheat, it will be there.
Now If this is done precisely as direct,
and If the wheat is not made entirely
free of chess, unless three chess seeds
should be sticking together, which is
sometimes on the stalk, in that case
there may be such left in the wheat,
still little more wind will blow them
out. If any man will try and cannot do
1t, send for me, and if | cannot DO it, to
perfection [ won't ask them to pay my
travelling expenses.
We have met with many farmers
who asserted that they sowed perfect
ly clean seed, and yet had an album
dance of chess-but on closely cxamin-
ing such seed, spreading it out thinly,
we could always find plenty of the
seeds of chess sometimes enough to
make ten thousand grains in the bushel,
and yet pass entirely unnoticed by a
casual observer. Travelling once with
n friend who 'bciieved in chess" we
offered to prove to MIN that all seeds
claimed as clean, was foul, and proposed
examining the seed we should find at
the residence Of good farmer we were
about to call on. The wheat was &C.
cordingly called for and closely ex.
nmined-handful after handful, but nc
chess could be found !-"What" said
We at last in despair, do you never
raise any chess hcre?' DO find any.
MOI was the emphatic answer" nc
chess grows on this farm We never
sow any--wc have cleared the farm OF
such foul stuff long ago-and find it
never grows unless it is sown. - Conn
try Gentleman.