Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-18

z9E1 v lille ONAOKS Z "A
the failure, or at least hey have not q
certained any effectual remedy for u
great evil.
Much has been said about the differel
diseases that effect the wheat plant, sue
as rust, blight, scab, smut, etc. woul
rather say different forms of disease, fC
have said / believe that if the whes
plant passes out of winter into the sprin
with its roots entire and sound, it wi
make wheat. If SO, the different form
of disease are only signs snd symptom
of one general disease developed in dii
ferent forms according to the differen
circumstances that occur in the surround
ing elements, that operate their peeulia
influences on everything that grows AM
lives-much cold or heat, sudden change
of temperature, heavy dews, fogs, ETC.
all have been spoken of as causes, ant
they may be, some or all of them. motiv'
powers or exciting causes developing
some form of disease when the whea
plant is in morbid or diseased condition
which it must be if the roots are injuret
or deficient, no matter from what cause
Inow design presenting some facts anl
incidents that may eorroborate the views
have offered. The crop of 1888 wa
estimated to be the finest that had beer
harvested for years. Wheat of the bes
quality was abundant, and as we had nc
railroad here, thousands of bushels were
offered at 30 cents per bushel and found
no market. The farmers fed it to theil
stock. For four or five years after that
the crops were very Indifferent, some
times almost failure. During the droutb,
in the year 1912, abent the last Of June,
heard conversation between Col b /,
one of the most extensive and successful
farmers in this county, and citizen OF
Abingdon, in which the latter asked the
Colonel If he had pretty good wheat. He
replied that he had not, for though it
looked well he would not raise his seed,
for the reason that he could pull up the
largest punches by the three straws-
it had no root. A few days after
this / went to a field and found
it verify truc-three siraws would
pull up the largest punches / could find.
The roots came up in tufts of about a
fingers length. Being near harvest, the
wheat in some places looked as if dead
ripe, the head curved down and the straw
so dry that it would have burnt like
sedgegrass, without vestige of grain
upon it. After that l sought converse
ton with the Colonel upon the subject,
in which he related many incidents con-
nected therewith-among them, that at
one time he had beautiful field of wheat
las fine to look at as he had ever seen.
He went off with drove of cattle, and
on his return he found it SO badly infested
with fly that he turned his stock upon it,
consisting of from 100 to 200 head. They
on it till the 10th of April,
the ground till it looked as hard
and naked as public road. He thenpu
up the fence, expecting to cultivate it in
something after planting his corn, but it
became so green in the meantime, he
to let it stand, and he declared
70 me he never harvested better field of
wheat, in either quantity or quality.
Again, some years after this, he said he
vas compelled to use small field for the
accommodation of his stock during the
winter that had been sown in wheat. He
ave up the wheat as lost, but after the
took was removed, seeing the wheat
'oming up, he let it stand, and the result
vas similar TO the one above cited.
Another case to the same purport, in
mall way, occurred within my own
A particular friend of mine,
whose house / frequently visited during
he season, had small field, of which
ne-half was in cultivation, the other in
rsss they call evergreen. 1t produces a
rop of early hay, then makes good fall
nd winter pasture. He sowed the cult
ated part in wheat. 1t came up well
nd looked promising. At the approach
# winter, having no other place to keep
lis COWS, he turned them on the grass
nd wheat, where they remained all win
er. Some of his neighbors admonished,
lmost reprimanded him, for destroying a
Ot of wheat of such fine promise, but
Then spring came, it started up well. l
aw it just before harvest, and l have
ever seen standing wheat of better ap-
'earance, for heavy yield of grain, of su-
'erior quality. Some farmers in the
thought it was no common
wheat The man told them he supposed
was the common wheat of the country,
s he had procured it there ia TIE neigh
orhood.
Many similar occurrences have come to
ny notice by men worthy of all conf
ence.
/ will refer to one more occurrence of
omewhat different character, but as l
link of the same general class. This
las related by an old gentleman formerly
wing q few miles from this place, who
armed extensively and raised great deal
f stock, and who WIS withal maa of
ndoubted veracitY. He said that one
me in his life his wheat took the smut,
nd continued to get worse every year.
lie then procured seed from Tennessee,
here there was no smut, and sowed it.
lie then concluded to SOW field, which
e intended to put in corn the next spring,
nth his smutty wheat, as it was worth
refusing to eat tiff it came
p it might make winter pasture for young
lock, and he could put it in corn. 1t
anne up, made fine pasture, and his stock
an on it all winter. After the stock was
lrned off and before he was ready to
liant, the wheat started up and looked SO
7ell he let it stand. 1t made very su-
erior crop, entirely free from smut, and
4 that he raised from the clean seed was
lined with smut.
Now would like to know On what n.y.
othesis, other than that l have offered,
an the phenomenon of the above case be |
xplained-smutty wheat producing good
ound wheat, and good sound wheat pro-
ucing smutty Wheat-at the same time,
n the same plantation, all the circum-
tances equal, save the one was pastured |
nd trampled by stock and the other was |
OF. The only difference was that the |
nutty wheat was little later sown than |
he other, which would seem to be dis |
dvantage rather than otherwise.
Now | will present the last and smallest |
ase l designed to offer. It is small ex-
eriment l was making in order to obtain |
Experimental facts in favor of my theory, |
ut good Providence took the wind out
f my sails by sending everybody good |
rop of wheat, so that my experiment
annot show by contrast what it would
ave been if the wheat had generally
liled. Nevertheless l viii give it spe-
fcally for what it is worth, that it may
= known what l mean by packing the
round, etc.
On the 27th day of September, 1869,
snted three ounces of wheat--two of
e Lancaster and one of the Bouton.
he ground l had to operate upon lay
ongside of two-story building that had
zen put up during the summer previous.
he ground was very HARD, trodden by
e workmen, and the season being ex-
edingly dry, 1 did not get it broken up
soon as l desired, but as soon as rain
me to wet the ground l dug it with
ok. l could not pulverize it, but broke
into small clOds, made drills eight
cbes apart and about two inches deep,