Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-06
THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR CE-

and 1t occurs TO us that one or more
articles on the improvement of cereals
might prove acceptable to our readers
at this time.
Small grains like wheat, rye, oats,
and barley, have the habit of spreading
at the root, which is called by some
stOoling, and by others tillering. This
vital function has been less studied
than its Importance demands. The
lateral runners, or side stems, form
roots en- their lower surface, and ena-
BILE the stool to draw nutriment from a
very considerable mass of soil. Some
weeks since, ON the authority of
the London Mark Lane Express,
we referred to Major Hallett,
of England, as devoting a large
part Of 700-acre farm to theproduction
of what he calls pedigree wheat, /"
which he sells very readily for seed at
three times the market price cf COM
mon wheat. He appears to have the
entire confidence of the public and of
the Farmers Club of which he is a
member. In an address he says:
81 have known a plant of wheat
grown from a single grain TO cover In
May a circle of five feet six inches in
diameter, measuring from the EXTREME
ties of the opposite leaves as they lay
filtered out fiat upon the surface."
As the natural functions of fruit pro-
duct;on IN the wild primitive apple.
pear and peach, have been immensely
improved, so may the lateral spread
ing of all cereals, ike small grains,
leading las we shall show to a very re-
markable increase of crop. Major H.
marks his ground in checks
twelve inches square, and plants
one seed only TO a square.
Some plots have larger squares, but
never over one grain of wheat. AT the
Exeter meeting of the British Asso-
citation, be exhibited stools of wheat
from single grains that contained nine
ty-four stems and ears well filed with
plump seed, stools of barley containing
10 stems, and of oats that had 81
stems. These are very suggestive facts.
Let US suppose this tillering power to
be fully developed, giving each parent
seed all needful room on the surface of
the ground to spread side runners and
roots, and the farmer may, apparently,
save three-quarters of his seed wheat,
oats and barley, and at the same time
double his harvest. Much, however,
depends on the climate; and this fact
suggests the Importance of having an
experimental farm near the capital.
OF the agricultural State of Tennessee.
II our climate were precisely the same
as that of an experimental station in
any part of Germany, England, Or
France, its results would be conclusive
as applied TO similarfarming operations
here.
Climates vary largely and indef-
initely, as they affect all cereals, as one
may learn without going to California
or Utah. Where Maj. Hallett raises
wheat, seed planted on the first of Sep
TENDER came up in seven days; if de-
layed till the first of October, the
ground was colder and the young
wheat did not appear till fourteen days
a ter the seed was in the ground
Planted on the first of November, it re-
quired twenty-one days to reach the
same development; planted Dec.
/, the temperature being still lower, it
took four times seven, or twenty-eight,
days to grow as much as it did in the
first week of September.
A moderately low temperature In au-
tumn in Middle Tennessee, and a rath-
er warm winter viii favor the spreading
of wheat, barley, oats and other Euro
pean cereals. Early sowing is desirable |
to give time for expanding nature to |
work out her best results for the enter |
prising farmer. Suppose a man with |
more avarice than wisdom, puts up |
four pigs to grow and fatten on feed |
that will be sufient for one only? He
Will soon have four starved hogs IN
stead Of one that is large and fat.
Too many pigs, and too many germs of
grain, starve each other In the strug- |
gle for life.
In place of planting two or three
bushels of wheat on an acre, as is the
general practice in England, Maj. Hal
lett puts one bushel of his improved
wheat on three acres, and harvests
twenty seven quarters of eight bushels
each. This gives 2l6 bushels of sixty
pounds each from one seed. A field of
pedigree barley turned out eighty two
bushels to the acre.
Next to the spreading Of the roots of
wheat by tillering, and making the soil
ine and deep by proper tillage, comes
the duty of lengthening the ears to
hold many seeds. In 1867, Maj. Hal
ett's first ear was a inches long, and
lad a. grains. OF all the ears produc-
ID from this one, giving each of the AZ
seeds a foot square Of ground, the finest
vas 81 inches long and contained 79
seeds, and the stool had ten stems or
stalks. The best ear in 1859 was q
inches long, had 81 seeds, and was one
# % ears and stems from one grain of
wheat. In 1860 the grain was failure
rom a wet season; but the finest stool
lad 50 stems. In 1861 the finest ear
vas 50 inches long, had l23 grains, and
vas an ear growing in stool of fifty
wo stems and ears. The length of ears
" selection alone was nearly doubled
n five years.
The number of seeds in an ear was
nearly three fold-from AZ to
-23. OF course the % heads in the
I