, 1861-08-08

| an allied genera OF the EgllopS, II proves
that botanists were not sufficiently familiar
with the character Of the plants wheh the
classification was made, and that sush iden.
tity will reconcile the traditions, the vague
and disconnected accounts Ct the origin OF
wheat, which in ancient as well as in modern
timeswas claimed to be found in Babylohia,
Persia, and Sicily, as in all Of item the Egi-
lops is very common.
Wherever the foot of cieiliEcd man has
penetrated, this symbol of his power has
gore with him. California, the latest illus.
tration Of this fact, which ten years ago i'm.
ported vast quantities of -four, is now an ex.
porter Of food. A not less curious fact is
the number Of varieties of wheat. and the
apparently capricious taste Of growers in sc.
lecting particular sorts for cultivation. The
origin Of some Of these varieties is equally
curious. The Hunter wheat, so extensively
cultivated in Scotland, sprung from single
plant accidentally discovered in large field.
The Ohio Lambert wheat had q similar ori.
gin. Whence these varieties proceed, no
one can say. A field of the kind long cult.
waited on the same farm, shows q strange
head in its crop. It may topple up higher
than its neighbors, or it may be larger and
fuller, but from some cause attracting notice,
it is preserved and propagated. The diff.
Guilty is to say where it came from. A bird
has probably picked it up in northern eli
mate which produces harder berry, and fly.
ing south, has dropped it undigested, on
field already sown, in season for vegetation
to follow. This theory is sustained by the
welLknown fact that any variety of this
grain which is taken much south Of its usual
locality and there sown. will present more
vigorous and hardy appearance than its
neighbors that have been already acclimated.
IL is also known that all the varieties i'm.
ported from Europe and now the standards
in our best wheat regions, came from high
latitudcs. The most popular Of them is the
Mediterranean, which is in reality Danish
or Norwegian, the common name of Medi.
terranean being q misnomer.
The wheat plant is much more sensitive to
heat than II Is to cold. If IL be steeped for
only fifteen minutes in water ten degrees
above the boiling point, its vitality is des
troyed. In northern latitudes the plant lives
$50 days, but in Mexico only 100. Hence Il
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 q soil
rich in phOsphates, just Us the vine requires
lime. Every plant seems to need q specific
stimulant. The tea Of Java is inferior be-
cause the soil Is overloaded with the salts of
iron, cause 10 which the Nankin cotton of
China owes its orange color. Wheat also
has its iavorites In the catalogue Of manures.
British agriculture, aided by chemistry, has
discovered what they are, and having used
them freely, is rewarded BY crops tha. nearly
treble the yield of half a century ago. These
are the phosphates. Distant countries are
exhausted Of bore. tosupply them, and quaint
tiesof phosphate fertilizers are manufactured
at home, 10 meet the growing demand.
Winter killing isconstantly complained of
by farmers without the causes being accu-
rately known. II sowed too deep, the grain
produces 50 few roots that it cannot afford
to lose any Of them without perishing.
When the ground freezes and thaws many
times, at each freezing Il cracks open. The
roots extend across these cracks and are torn
asunder, thus depriving the plant Of its ne
cessary nourishment, when in many Instances
= y = tco W AASuey VI NAnlubuitto y blChly
Improbable existence. Sometimes the crop
Is thrown entirely out Of the ground. when
Il Is sure to perish, as the ehunce Of forming
new roots is gone The natural remedy for
such calamities Is known to be deep cover.
ing Of snow. As the plant during winter,
exrrts all It's energy in developing roots and
leaves, leaving spring to form the stalk and
summer toperfect il, heavy and lasting
snow keeps It 50 warm as to allow this emer.
gency to act, besides eifectually protecting
is roots from rupture by alternate freezing
and thawing. But seasons occur when no
snowy blankets Gall. The artificial remedy
IS understanding, and II done thoroughly, Il
may be pronounced eIfectuaI against winter
killing, British agriculture abounds with
proof Of this sud in this country, since m-
derdraining has been introduced, there Is
much eonhrmatory evidence. Our severe
and variable climate renders it much more
nacao.ars, et.r l., R.s.l...l rs