The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-04-11
EBENSBURG, PA, TIL TUESDAY, APRIL Il. 1861

Danish or Norwegian, the common name
of Mediterranean being Il misnomer
The wheat plant is much more sensitive
to heat than it is to cold II it be steep
ed for only fifteen minutes in water ten
degrees above the boiling point, its vital
lty is destroyed. In northern latitudes
the plant lives 80 days, but in Mexico
only 100. Hence it Is that our extreme
Southern States have never been great
wheat producing regions. Climate alone
forbids it, even if the soil were the right
one. Wheat requires soil rich in phos-
pilates, just as vine requires lime. Every
plant seems to need a specific stimulant
The tea of Java is inferior, because the
soil is overloaded with the salts of iron, a
cause to which the Nankin cotton of Chi
ma owes its orange color. Wheat also has
its fayorites lii the catalogue of manures.
British agriculture, aided by chemistry,
has discovered what they are, and having
used them freely, is rewarded by crops
that nearly treble the yield of half a CEN
tury ago. These are the phosphates.
Distant countries are exhausted of bones
to supply them, and vast quantities of
phosphate fertilizers are manufactured
at home to meet the Increasing demand.
Winter-Eilling is constantly complained
Of by farmers without the causes being
accurately known. Ii sowed too deep, the
grain produces so few roots that it can
not afford to loose any Of them without
perishing. When the ground freezes and
thaws many times, at each freezing it
cracks open. The roots extend across
= Il 4
depriving the plant Of its necessary nour-
ishment, when in many instances it per-
ishes outright, or maintains sickly and
improbable existence. Sometimes the
crop is thrown entirely out OF the ground,
when it is sure to perish, as the chance of
forming new roots is gone. The natural
remedy for such calamities is known to be
deep covering Of snow. As the plant,
during Winter, eXerts all It's energy in
developing roots and leaves, leaving Spring
to form the stalk and Summer to perfect
it, heavy and lasting snow keeps it so
warm as to allow this energy to act, beside
effcctually protecting its roots from rup-
ture by alternate freezing and thawing.-
But seasons occur when no snowy blanket
falls. The artificial remedy is underdrain-
ing; and if done thoroughly, it may be
pronounced winter killing. British agri-
culture abounds with proof Of this, and in
5his country, since understanding has
been introduced, there is much confirma-
tory evidence. Cur severe and variable
climate renders it much more necessary.
than in England.
One of the most marvellous faculties of
the wheat plant is that Of sending up
multitude Of stalks from a single grain,
known as tdleraeg. 1t is the secret of It's
great productiveness. Many experiments
have been made to ascertain the limit of
this faculty, and the results have been
truly wonderful An English gentleman
sowed few grains Of common red wheat
on the I'd of June, one of the plants from
which had tillered SO much by the Sth of
August, that he then divided it into eighteen
others, all which were planted separately.
In few weeks so many of these had again
multiplied their stalks, that he had set
out sixty-seven altogether to. 90 through
the Wintef. With the Spring growth all
these began tillering, so that in March
and April new division was made, and
the number Of plants increased to 500
1t was believed that another division might
have been made, and that it would have
increased the number to 1000. The 500
grew most vigorously, exceeding plants as
ordinarily cultivated. When harvested,
4 single plant yielded over 100 ears, and
the whole number of ears produced was
u, 100, or more than 10 to each divided
plant, and the grain measured 81 pecks,
weighing All pounds. The grains were
estimated as numbering 576,S40. All
this was the product of "a single ker-
mel.
1t is an error to suppose that ours is
the greatest wheat producing country
We do our full share. without doubt, but
our system of agriculture is steadily ex-
hausting our best land, and in few years
elimination of the yield will be appa-
rent in our census returns. Last years
crop is assumed to be 10000, 900 bush
els, but the average is probably only
120,000,000. The average yield of 9TH
er countries is as follows:
France, 191, ,422, PAS
Britain, l45, 500, 200
Two Sicilies, 6l, ,o0o, 900
Canada OO,47o,IS4
Spain, 1924, 500
Austria, 27,735, ,56S
Sardinia, 1875, 900
Russia, (export only 1921: 776
elgium, 1850, 900
Portugal, 5,500,00
Turkey, (export only 4,72s,ooo
: Holland, 3,600000
ri