Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-30
FARMERS, COLUMN.


sufficient attention. is that of the selection of good
seed wheat. In neighborhoods with which we are
more particularly aequsinted than with others, says
the Louisville Courier, we know this to be the case.
\ In the first place there is earelessness as to the
c'edHhess Of the seed saved in the second, seed
reshed out BY the patent threshers and separators
IS use IN the third the same seed is used for too
many years suecessIvely the same farm or in the
same neighborhood; and in the fourth place, sufR-
Gent attention is not paid to the selection of va
rieties that stand the winters of this latitude BEST
and varieties that most successfully Withstand the
attacks Of the insect enemies of this most important
plant, and show themselves least liable to suffer
from rust, smut, sc.
Now, in the growing'of wheat, a few things have
been very satisfactorily established. Among them,
as will be universally acknowledged are the follow
ing: First, that foul seed will not produce clean
wheat, any more than thOrns will produce grapes.
or thistles figs Second that in seed cleaned by the
patent threshers and separaors many grains are so
broken cracked, or bruised, as not to terminate at
ALL while many others have just enough of the vital
principle left to enable them to sprout and make
very feeble plants. Third, that frequent change
OF seed from one State to another. or from one
| neighborhood to another, or one farm 70 another
though this may give some trouble, and even add
ten or twenty per cent to the cost of seeding. is
really Judlcious economy and fourth that some va
rieties winter kill less than Others and others suf
fer less than some from insects from rust and
| smut from drOUth and other enemies
As consequence, we find good, experienced
wise farmersivery particular to have their wheat
free from rye, well as from the seeds of chess
cookie, and other weeds, and observe them resort
ing to all the known expedients to secure this i'm
portant end, and also to provide against smut We
find them, likewise, threshing out their seed grair
by hand after the old fashion, in order that each in
dividual seed which they intend to commit to the
earth for another crop may be whole and possess it
full, unabridged vitality. Moreover, we may FIND
them every few years exchanging seeds with neigh
bors. or buying at the seed stores, in order tina
there may be no local running out upon their farms
but that whatever benefit there may be in chang,
of SOIL position, locality, handling may be theirs
And, further still, we find them resortng to goot
agricultural journals, and the reports of Agricul
tural Societies for information as to new varieties
or as to kinds that found elsewhere to produc,
well, to be comparatively free from rust and, from
hardihoOd or some other popularity, to withstand
or to escape the attacks of insect enemies
There are no better wheat growers in this coun
try, believe. than those of the central parts O.
the State of 0hio-as there is no better wheat bel
in the United States, than the one which run,
through that State. The farmers there try all kinds
make frequent changes, adopt every method which
is likely to produce a large yield of good grain Ii
different parts of the State, within period of fif
teen or twenty years, they had in cultivation moi
| T.. ~. L.. 4 IA
Some of these have produced enormous crops for
a few years, then sunk down to the common aver
age, and been abandoned for others and many Of
them have at the same time. been very free from
diseases or insect depredatOns for time and finally
become subject to both two facts which illustrate
very forcibly, the policy of change.
There are two varieties of wheat which have very
gradually worked their way into general estimation
in Ohio, until they now occupy the highest place
according to the judgment of of the Oldest and
best wheat growers in that State. These varieties
are the lambert" and the Purkey = the latter
being old English kind, which seems to have been
benefited by translation from land of almost ever.
lasting fOgs ard drizZes TO of nearly perpetual
sunshine-whe the former is a native variety
whose history is given as follows in KLrPPARr's
| excellent and elaborate treatise on The Wheat
Plant"
ain IS49, Isaac Lambert. of Hardin county. Ohio
| found three heads of smooth wheat uninjured BY
rust or nudge, in a field of Old Red Chaff bearded
| which was seriously injured by both the above
maladles. From these three heads have sprung the
| famous crop of Lambert wheat IN that region II
/ ripens earlier than the Mediterranean. The Pulmes
| appear to have large amount of silica in their
composition which is perhaps one reason that it Is
regarded as proof against the nudge, by which,
thus far, 1t has not been effected 1t has yielded
twenty bushels per acre. The berry Is small and
opaquely white We're 1t not that it is regarded as
| proof against the nudge, almost every one would
prefer. both for quality and yield the White Blue
Stem, to which variety it undoubtedly owes its pa
rentage, and which i: very strongly resembles in
Its general appearance, as well in its anotomcal
details.o
The Lambert wheat is now pretty generally diff
fused over Southeastern Ohio where it has great
popularity. In Muskingum Valley it is especially
liked by the farmers. They sow from one bushel to
one bushel and half to the acre. and harvest fifteen,
twenty, and twenty-five notwithstanding to soil,
season. and preparation for the crop. Testimony is
borne on all hands to the fact that this wheat is
proof against the nudge. The reason why it is So
one farmer expresses the opinion, is because the
cap that covers the grain so close and strong that
the nudge cannot open it to lay eggs in the proper
place to destroy the kernel" Another says he
thinks the reason that the weeVil cannot get into
this kind of wheat is, that the hull is differently
formed" which the editor of the Ohio CiUator SAYS
= true, the hull of the Lambert wheat being double
that the nudge fly does not pierce to the kernel in
depOsiting her egs.
The Lambert wheat is described as having small
blade and straw as being easy to thresh aud as ri
pening from three to five days earlier than the Med
iterranean-the fact last named accounting for Its
exemption from rust
The Purkey wheat has done admirably in Ohio |
this season. This wheat was obtained from Eng,
land some ten twelve years ago. and cultivated |
on thin soil Cincinnati very successfully, but
without exciting particular attention. Its dissent
nation then began. Mr. FREEMAN g. CAREY, one of |
the professors in Farmers College, and himself a
practical farmer, was among the first to procure
and cultivate it, He says in letter to Mr. KIPPARr.
" Its constitution is Enthusiastically good, growing
most vigorously even upon thin soil, and Withstand
ing the effects of cold and drouth better than any
other variety wherever tried. 1t has been known
to yield so bushels tc the acre and has from 50 to
30, and even over that number of grains to the
head. 1t will yield from five to ten bushels more to
he than the Mediterranean sOwed side by sllle
1t has weighed p lbs to the measured bushel, and
never falls below standard. Its chaff is light ker
nels compact the rachis the head short, bald
he straw white and strong, often little purple or
ncning to red few inches below the head-uuite
characteristic mark not liable to fall as is the
and is well suited to rich or lean
oils. 1t has been known to yield A lbs. of flour
o the standard bushel; and is premium -four in
appearance well in fact, having a rich cream.
ike color.
The Purkey wheat ripens about the time of the
BlueStem, and earlier than the white
ienesee of New York. Mr.. KIIPPAKr .ays aitis
destined to become one Of the most popular white
vheats in Ohio" This wheat should be tried BY
outherA farmers We trust some of our Tennessee
armers will procure some of this variety of wheat
nd see whether it is adapted to our soil and climate
The CrOps.s.rimely SuggestIOns.
From the Southern Homestead. r
MEssRs. EDiTORs IL wrote you the 29th July
~ estimate of our crops. stated that general
hin about that time would insure about an average
20 bushels of corn per acre, for the whole of
NTH county. The general rain did not come then