Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1861-03-28
The Wheat and Chess Question.

II ma be we'll TO repeat, says the Amer
lean Agriculturist, for the benefit of 80 900
/ to 10000 new readers, that we last year of
tercd a reward of $500 to any person who
would demonstrate by series of well cor.
Quoted experiments, that wheat viii turn
| to chess. This offer has turned out a great
number of letters on the subject, some Civ
ing notice that the writer's will be prepared
in due time to claim the premium. Here
are a couple of examples similar TO many
| others: John Plotter, Of Green Bay, Wis,
writes that last year be cleared a forest and
sowed it to oats, June IL The oats grew
! finely, but were struck with rust before ri
| penlng. A subsequent rain washed off the
rust ana he had a good yield of fodder
| Sept 9th lie sowed wheat which was some
what damaged by frost, but it recovered
finely, owing to the splendid spring wealth
or. The crop grew so vigorously that it
was q pleasure to look at the field. But to
his surprise, at harvest, most Of the expec-
ted wheat proved to be chess, especially
along the border of the forest on the high
er ground away from the forest, the wheat
was beautiful, yielding from 35 to 40 bush
els per acre. Mr.. p is sure thar his wheat
seed was good and clean; and nc weeds
came up on the field
Another subscriber writes from Louis.
vile, Kentucky, that iu 1858 he had few
acres Of very fine wheat, that, when nearly
ripe, was almost destroyed by a storm, SO
that it could not be harvested clean. LII
the fall there was growth Of wheat on the
ground as thick as If four bushel of seed had
been s0wn. The land being in good order,
ne let the volunteer crop grow, and expec-
ted second good harvest But when
nearly ripe, he discovcrd that IL aoas all
chess! He thinks he could have thrc5hed
10 bushels per acre Of chess, and there was
not single head of wheat on the feldl--
Again, year before last, the swine broke
into one of his wheat fields and spoiled a
part of it, so that it was not harvested
Last year crop Of chess appeared, and the
plot Of chess just covered the ground whcre
the swine spoiled the wheat, and extended
no further.
The above are staggering eases, and not
having witnessed the fields or studied their
previous culture and surroundings, we shaA
not attempt to explain the phenomena
But there must have been some cause for
the appearance of the chess other than the
traDsmutation Of the wheat If wheat can
turn into or produce chess under any cir
cumstaEces, then all scientific observations,
on the permanence OF species must be sad
ly at fault. We are still positive that with
out miraculous interpostion, without any
absolute variation from fixed natural laws,
it is not possible for a grain of wheat tc
produce head Of chess We will on
ly repeat that we viii very cheerfully pay
the $500 offered, if any one will ascertain
By succession of experiments, any pro-
cess or coordination of circumstances, By
which such transmutation can be brought
about. OF course if it can be done once
the experiment can be repeated Let those
who believe the transmutation possible, ex-
pertinent and learn how the change can be
produced 1t Will then be easy to repeat
the experiment under circumstances which
will leave no doubt If any one succeeds
in conclusi7ely proving to the world that
wheat viii turn into chess, he win not only
receive the reward offered, for his labor,
out his name will become famous He will
upset one of the laws assigned to nature.
and held to be immutable by all scientific
naturalists