Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-12-05
From the Southern Planter and Tarmer.l
Wheat Turning TO Cheat.

| noticed in the last number Of the
Southern Planter aud Fa,naea., short
article from Mr.. David Bear, OF Rock
pgham county. Va, on the question
Of Wheat turning to chess, or cheat as
we call it. He refers to coutrover-
sy that went the rounds of she agricul-
tural papers about thirty years ago,
aud plants himself on the negative
side of the question. I was not en-
aged in farming at that time, but |
distinctly recolect the controversy to
which Mr.. Bear refers. II appeared
to be a difficult question to settle def
nitely, and the best aud most obser
want farmers were found on both
sides. But there was one farmer OF
practiclo character and undoubted We
raclty, living in the county Of Abe
marle at that time, who had been in
'erested ir the subject. He believed
that such questions could be more sat
l,iactorily settled by observation than
by philosophical reasoning. He exams
ined tie cheat itself, as he found a
bunch Of it growing IN wheat stub
ole field of the previous sumner.
There had been little rain OF snow Gu
ring the Whit + and Spring 80 tina.
wheat heads remained uudecomposed
lille The gram sprouted and put
orth a crop to maturity He found
at the roots of this bunch Of cheat
"a veri aple head of wheat, from The
meshes OF which he cheat had unmis
akably sprung. This evIdruce =
| this argument, for yer settled thai
question in his mind. Somewhile at
forwards he was in company with sew
eral intelligent farmers who were dis
cusslug this question:; and after hear
ing some Of them declare the llupossl'
| nility for the thing TO occur; that Ii
was contrary to the laws OF reason and
and nature, h. described VIII he hao
seen-this head OF wheat with the tul
headed cheat growing II 9ht out OF It,
They did uol. doubt his ability to eX'
anime and determine the true nature
OF such a cas-, nor did they doubt his
'ru htuness i'll stating what he saw
This was knock down ar um,tt, anC
1t closed the cheat controversy i'll hal
section from that time to the resent
But what practical lesson can We
learn trom lhal?Cheat is as unwelcone
to us now as Is VAS thirty years ago
'ud perhaps quite as pltnii u; bnt
his development OF ii gives US no clue
70 to Iohy mat head OF wheat prod lc'
81 cheat; that still remains mys.
terry.
| inclined to the opinion chat wheat
III a degeneratn4 stale Is more like l.
o produce Great than good healthy
grain.
Aoout Ave years ago ordered 5, mt
,anlP!es ii heat from Mr. q y
} AZ OF Philadelphia for expyr'
tnj; ir seu4 ne eigh. yari, ties
hlch | cultivated carefully. to OBJ
am a good variety ior my Sml an,
Il mate, Among these varieties WAY
he Gennesee white, Il BEARDED wheat
'or TWO year, this wheat did web an,
thought /: woqld be luy wheat; blu
The third year 1t fell back, being bad
y infested with fly. The next Seasel
ii was badly filed, and the next year
I'll the best la, d | had. it was th,
lest crop Of cheat ever IA ell !
c4ndidly think, when 1t vas thrcshed
it was half chea,-Iarge, heavy, anl
~ell~developed cheat; while he VIII a
was pae, ashy-colored, swarthy
looking stuff, aud very light. The
lesson | learned from that expo rimen
was to sow that wheat no more. It is
popular theory in this section, that OF
ten Changing seed, wheat is calculatet
20 keep up good standard. | thinl
when cheat beg'us to infest the wbea
field, tn E best means OF rlddance is tt
change the seed wheat. There i.
another feature growing out Of thi
subject that may be of some practice
Importance. Our timothy meade WI
sometimes become cheat to a large eX
tent; and here / would ask a question
OF two hoping some one Of You
many contributors will answer. Doe.
the seed Of cheat germinate ana pro
duce cheat? When a meadow become,
much taken with cheat, can tn,
timothy be restored without plowin!
and Resolving? Cheat makes Yer,
pour hay at best, and il lett standin.
till it ripens, tits totally worthless "a
hay But dces it not disappear snon
laneousl y sometimes AMI the timothy
re appcar as il was formerly? A gooc
timothy meadow is valuable thing
and it is waste OF time to Lave t,
plow it ar, 1t may be, just as it reaches
is best Yield.
Farmers differ in their judgmvn
and practice AZ to the tlme IF harvest
ing timothy. Some prefer to cut a
soon rs the uloom tails, while every
thing about it is OF green color
others wait I'LL he heads turn brown
ana uhers sui! I'll the straw begins t,
urn brown. Does either Of these
methods induce cheat for the mex
crop? IS. NJ. SHEPHERD.
Albemarle county, Va.