Year: 1860

Farmers sustain great loss in not be-
slowing proper care and attention in the
selection of the most productive varieties
of wheat for seed, and in not cleaning it
thoroughly from rye, cheat and other foul
seed


In Che first place, the most productive
should be chosen; that which is least
liable to disease and the depredations of
insects: and next in importance to select
ing the best variety, that which is matur-
ed well, exhibiting plump, full grain,
and free from the seeds of noxious plants,
not depending alone upon the selection of
such as contains the least amount of such
seeds, but care should be taken to thoro'-
ly riddle and winnow the grain so that
every foreign seed is removed. IF prop
er precaution be used in thoroughly clean
ing seed wheat of the seeds of chess, the
false idea of transmutation would be for
ever exploded. A good wheat fan with
suitable screens and riddles, when prop
erly used, will generally remove all foul
seed by running the wheat through it one
two or three times. In former numbers
of our paper we have published the meth
cd Of removing chess from seed wheat,
as practiced by John Johnson, of Geneva
New York. If we remember correctly,
Mr.. johnson simply runs the wheat slow
ly through the fan with the riddles re-
moved, turning at brisk rate, and thus
blowing out all light seed, chess, &C.
Where a proper fan is not at hand the
work may be done most afectually by
turning the seed into a large trough, or
hogshead, of water, and then skimming
off all the light grains Of wheat, chess
and other light seed. When this method
is employed it would be we'll to use a so
luton of blue vitriol in the water, which
at the same time would destroy all the
sporules Of smut, and also prevent the
tendency to rust. With the same vessel
and the same water a large quantity of
seed wheel may be submitted to this pro-
cess in a single day. The wheat need
not remain long in the wash, but may be
taken out and spread on the barn floor,
and after remaining a short time, air
Stacked lime, or plaster, may be mixed
with it, thoroughly stirring it up with
shovel or grain scoop until it is well mix
ed, when it may be sown. The Increase
of the crop and its freedom from other
grain and seed will many times com
pensate for this trouble.


Recent experiments have definitely
settled the question that earlier ripening
of wheat may be secured by procuring
the seed of early ripening kinds from the
South. Wheat, unlike Indian Corn, is
a grain Of Northern origin and witt grow
and mature in climates of much lower
tempere than Indian Corn will. The lat
ter grain when grown at the South
adapts itself to the climate and requires
a longer period to mature than when for
ced TO accomplish its work in a season of
short duration.


In travelling over a wide extent of
country Just before harvest the past sea-
son, we noticed an unusual quantity Of
rye growing amid the wheat in vaaious
sections of the country. Whether the
proportion of rye was increased the pres
ent season in consequence of the wheat
being more tender. and was partially
killed out by the winter and thus admit
ting the rye TO spread and incsease, or
whether it is to be attributed to other
causes, we will not pretend to say. 1t is
an easy matter to grow wheat free from
rye; as the latter are so much taller than
the wheat, the heads are easily cut off
with knife or sickle before the grain ma
lures, and this should always be done in
the fields from which it is designed 10 Sc
lect for seed.