Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1872-08-21

have, even with the most thorough preparation
and highest manufing.
Iremarked while ago, that the falling Off in
our crop was attributable to the deterioration In
seed will now try to show what has caused
this deterioration
First think that our soil and climate are
not perfectly adapted to the wheat plant II
they were Wa would fluid il growing wild as In
California and Oregon. But the main cause of
degeneracy is caused by fly. The habits of
which necessitate such late seeding that the
plants have not time to get a vigorous start To
carry them through the Winter especially when
1t happens AZ last Winter, very cold, with an in
suitciency Of snow to cover 1t. It maintains y
slckly existence, and is poorly prepared to resist
the ravages Of fly iii the SPRING and passing
though similar ordeal year after year, must OF
necessity, reduce its vitality, and a. conso-
quence become an easy prey to all enemies of
the crop.
1t may be proper hero to inquire when Is the
best time to SOW with the best chance of fscap
ing those enemies. This il diihcult to deter
mine, for there seems to be no timc of uuiyer
sal application. What may be the proper time
for one locality may not bo best for another
But from an observation Of many years AIN in
ducod to believe that the first week IN October
ia the safest time III this county, taking a series
Of years together. Earlier than this would be
safest against rust and sun blight but more
risk from fly. | have rarely known an entire
failure when seeded at that timo. | have known
many failures when seeded earlier. Especially
| know Of several fields seeded IN September
which the fly nearly ruinel, while others seeded
only one week later entirely escaped its rayages
Tho next question IL.
WHAT Variety WILL HEST STAND THE FLY AND
CLIMATE
The Mediterranean seemed TO stand our eli.
mate longer than most Others but 1t, too, had
to succumb to the enemies of the crop. When
first imported it would stand the fly with an
early seeding, but at er series of years. be-
came, like other varieties, an easy prey. To
prove this, Will give a care under my own OBJ
servatiOn, which think fully demonstrates the
Necessity OF renewing our seed wheat frequent
ly Mr. H. on an adjoining farm, renewed hH
seed from wheat but few years from importa-
ton. la sowing his field lie fell short gallon
or no from finishing tho field. lie sent to his
barn and got enough to finish which was done
Immediately, and received the same treatment
as the rest Of the field, no part of which escaped
the fly, but that part from renewed seed seemed
to resist its attacks and growed on vigorously.
But not 10 with that FROM seed of his own pro-
ductlOn, Enough both were of the Medlterra-
mean yarlety) Sis was literally eaten up even
the grains that scattered over On the other laud
was eaten. Aud while this flom tho renewed
seed made over ~ bushels per acre. the other
was barely worth harS estlnB. THIS, to my mind,
shows the Importance and necessity of renewing
our seed wheat every few years directly from the
wheat-grOwing countries of Europe, and from
that section the growth of which has proved
best adapted to our climate.
bringing seed from other sections Of the Uni
ted States, may in some cases prove beneficial,
but IN my opinion, il not to be relied on, as /
have proved to my own satisfaction, | sent,
few years ago, to Rochester, New York, and at
considerable expense, procured II bushels OF
variety highly recommended there, and sowed
it on the same field with wheat of my own grow
lug, and found, at harvest, that l had gained
nothing by way Of Improvement. l have made
several attempts to change the character of our
seed-wheat by renewing from neighborlnB States,
and from far oil California, but with very little
SUCCESS, except from late importation. 1t IL
therefore, III my opinion, essential to Our sue
cess that We have fresh impOrtatiOns from
abroad every few years And know of no better
way to get genuine article than for your club
to raise fund by subscription, and authorize
YOUR President to order a fuw barrels from some
port on the Mediterranean, where can be lad
the variety last introduced here, (the blue stem
Mediterranean These few barrels soWed tim
on highly improved land, would soon furnish
enough to supply your entire club with seed,
and soon sell enough, at all advance, to pay the
expense of importation, or raise a lund for re-
| newal every lew years, 30 that when you once
get start It would pay its way and BVeyou fresh
seed as often Nd needed.
woul here remark, that none but varieties
known to succeed here, should be purchased, ex-
cept in tritllnB amounts. bought of Il new and
beautiful variety, few years ago, at ten dollars
| per bushel, and put 1t on the best land IN the
| there IS in the market at 5OO HIS. per acre and
| that was the last of it, | did not reap shoaf,
and have no desire ior any more OF tho kind.
| But renewing the seed IL not all that il necea
| safy to insure SUCCESS The land il not already
rich must DO improved and put in best possible
/ condition to receive the seed.
IN sections OF country well adapted to the
wheat plant the VIRGIN soil may DO sufficient in
| itref to produce good crop Of wheat without
| manure, and have no doubt that our old land
/ with good clover lay, would produce a good
crop II We could SOW III August or early Septem-
| her. For N crop of clover equal to 2I2 tons to
the acre, would supply more than enough of all
| Substances, both organic and Inorganic for a
| crop of 20 bushels OF wheat to the acre. Accord
ing to analysH,it would furnish an excess of pot
ash SO lbs of lime 81 lbs, ma6nesia lbs, sui
phurlc acid hs., phosphoric acid lb., chlorine
| lhs. being largely in excess of the wants of
| the crop. But the ravages of the fly compel us
| to suw later than Aub list or September, as some
| of us have found to our cost the present season,
| consequently the clover crop could not be as
simulated or prepared for assimilation IN time to
give the wheat plants vigorous start and pre-
| uare them to resist our Winters, which, though
not 80 cold as further North, are subject to
longer periods OF freezing and thawlnB with all
insuliicieucy OF snow TO cover 1t. This late
| sowing necessitates the liberal use Of manure
| Of some kind and that kind which can be most
expeditiously applied and most readily assimila-
ted by the plaut, would prove most successful
| Harn-yard manure contains all the elements me-
cessary to the perfection of the wheat plant
But il bulky, and requires too much labor IN lts
distribution for wheat crop, aad withal, is not
as readily asslmilated by plants as some Of the
commercial manures.
1t would therefore seem to be wise economy
to use good commercial manures on wheat, and
use our barn-yard manure on land intended foi
corn, by applying in the Fail, Winter, and early
spring before the ground is done freezing and
thawing.
But, say some, 1t takes all my surplus wheat
to pay for the fertilizers bought how are we
to stand that kind of farming ?" That is bad
but remember that you had but half crops q
full crop would have made difference in the ii
nancal account. But suppose you had never uset
any commercial manure, where would your clover
aud corn crops be? just a little poorer than 70
years ago,-a few nubbins and no clover. \
single crop does not exhaust all the feTtilizinl
clements in a dressing of good commercial ma
nure II is seen in after crops for several years
and if properly followed with grass and lime
makes permanent improvement, In proof OF
this / will give two or three cases with which
am familiar not presuming that these are the
greatest in the country. l give them because
know the facts and figures.
A gentleman Of my acquaintance bought afarn
near Lepsic in this coHnty in 1868. The corr
crop was then 400 bushels. The same amour
of land in 1871 produced 2,1OO bushels Th,