WHEAT.

This is the most highly esteemed of all grains, and has more enemies,

and is more affected in its growth by the weather, than any other. It

has engaged more attention in the study and writings of agriculturists

than all other cereals. The outlines only of the results of the vast

field of investigation and experiment on wheat-growing can be presented

here. There are doubts respecting the origin of wheat. The more general

and probable theory is, that it is the product of the cultivation, for a

series of years, of a species of grass called AEgilops. This is

indigenous on the shores of the Mediterranean, in those countries which,

from time immemorial, have been the sources of our wheat. No one has

ever found wild wheat in any country; it would be as strange as a wild

cabbage or turnip. But the practical question is, How can wheat be most

surely and profitably grown? The first requisite is a suitable soil. A

clay or limestone soil is usually considered best, as there is much lime

in wheat-bran. Such soil is better than light sand, or some of the

poorer loams. But the large yields of wheat on the Western prairies, and

on the rich alluvial soils of California river-bottoms, shows that the

best of wheat may grow on other than clay lands. The truth of the matter

respecting soils for wheat, is, that any soil good for corn, potatoes,

or a garden, may, with proper tillage, produce the best of wheat.

Experience in England, and in all the old countries on the continent of

Europe, shows us that old land may be made to yield as large crops of

wheat as the virgin soil of the New World. The production of wheat at

suitable intervals, for a century, on the same land, need not lessen its

power to produce good wheat in large quantities. Wheat is a plant

demanding a rich soil, worked deep, and not too wet: these three things

will produce a good crop on any land. We say to all farmers, raise wheat

on any land that you can afford to prepare. First, if your land has not

a dry subsoil, underdrain it thoroughly: water standing in the soil, and

becoming cold or stagnant, is very injurious to wheat. Drainage is

hardly more essential to any other crop than this. Next, plow deep.

Subsoiling, on most lands, is very important to wheat. Manure highly,

and put the manure between the soil and the subsoil: this attracts the

roots deep into the soil, which is the greatest protection against

winter-killing, and the effects of excessive drought. Render the surface

of the soil as fine as possible. A finely-pulverized soil is as

essential for wheat as for onions. Coarse lumpy soils are so open to the

action of the atmosphere as to render the growth unequal, and cause the

roots of the plant to grow too near the surface, for dry weather or the

cold of winter. Always apply lime to wheat-lands, unless it be a

limestone soil--not too much at once, but a few bushels to the acre

annually. On no other crop do wood-ashes and dissolved potash, applied

in the coarse manures, pay so well as on wheat. Sowing the seed is next

in importance. The three questions in sowing are the manner, the depth,

and the quantity. Shall it be drilled or sowed broadcast? Broadcast

sowing requires more seed, and is liable to be less evenly covered;

hence, we should prefer drilling. The depth of the seed is to be

determined by the texture of the soil. Careful experiments have shown,

that on clay land there is no perceptible difference in the growth of

the plants, at any of the stages, in seed sown at any depth, from a

slight covering to three or four inches. At a greater depth, it comes up

less regularly, and in every way is in a worse condition. But on a light

soil, it is, no doubt, best to plant it from four to six inches deep. On

very loose soils, as muck land and alluvial soils, the roots of the

plants grow too near the surface, and are exposed to being thrown out by

winter frosts, and destroyed. The remedy is deep sowing and thorough

rolling. The quantity of seed now more generally sown is from five pecks

to two bushels per acre. Rich land will not bear so much seed as the

poorer. It will grow so thick as to render the straw tender, and expose

it to lodge and ruin the crop. Wheat tillers, or thickens up at the

bottom, making many stalks from a single seed, quite as much as any

other grain; hence, we believe that if it be sown at a proper time on

very rich land, three pecks to the acre would be better than more. Such

sowing would make more vigorous plants, with much stronger roots, which

would withstand cold and unfavorable weather better than any other. We

should still more strongly recommend another form of sowing, practised

by some European cultivators with great success: it is, to drill in

wheat, in rows two feet apart, and give it a spring cultivation; this

gives great strength to the plants, destroys the weeds, promotes rapid

growth by stirring the soil, and favors tillering, so that the rows will

meet, and give a great growth. We doubt not this will yet be extensively

adopted in this country. All wheat-land had better be rolled after

sowing, and light lands, with a very heavy roller. Light sandy land,

having a little clay mixed in as recommended under soils, well manured,

the seed planted six inches deep, and the whole rolled with a heavy

roller, will bear great crops of wheat.

As it respects fall or spring wheat, no positive directions can be

given, adapted to all climates. In many localities it is of little use

to sow winter wheat, as it is very uncertain. In other localities winter

wheat almost always succeeds best. This question then must be determined

by circumstances. The time of sowing winter wheat varies in different

climates, according as it may be exposed to depredations of worms and

insects in the fall. Farmers are not liable to mistake in this matter.

Spring wheat, in all climates, should be sowed very early. It is hardly

possible in all the Middle and Northern states to prepare the ground in

spring, and get in wheat in suitable season.

The yield of a crop of spring wheat, depends materially upon the growth

in the cool and moist weather of spring, when it spreads and its roots

get a strong hold before the hot weather, that hurries up the stalks

and ears to maturity. Hence plow in the fall, and harrow in the wheat,

as early as possible, in the spring.

_The varieties_ of wheat are numerous and uncertain. In the state of

Maine, an intelligent cultivator, in 1856, recommended Java wheat as

having a very stiff straw, and producing a very heavy yield. The

Mediterranean wheat is also a favorite variety. Club wheat has also had

a great run, and is now very popular at the West. But of varieties no

one can be confident. We notice in the discussions of the best

agriculturists of England and Scotland, that they have doubts of the

proper names of some of the best varieties. In a certain rich part of

Illinois we know an unusually popular wheat, sold at high prices for

seed, under the name of _mud club_, as being much better than the

ordinary club. We happened to learn that it was nothing but common club

wheat, sown on rather low ground, where it happened to grow very fair

that season. It is only occasionally that such tricks are successfully

played, but it is true that many varieties are the result of extra good

or chance cultivation. The celebrated Chidham wheat, named from a place

where it was successfully grown, was also called Hedge wheat, because a

head found growing in a hedge was supposed to be the origin of it. Now

it is not probable that that head was the only one of the kind in all

the country, and it would by no means be identified in all localities.

And as all wheat is the result of the cultivation of the AEgilops or some

other wild grass, it shows us that varieties may be produced by

cultivation. Great importance is therefore to be attached to frequently

changing seed; especially bringing it from colder into warmer climates,

and changing from one soil to a very different one. Thus seed raised on

hard hills is highly valuable for alluvial soils. Thus the efforts to

introduce so many new varieties from the dominions of the sultan, will

prove of vast advantage to wheat culture in America. So let us be

constantly importing the best from Great Britain and the British

provinces and from California, and all the extremes of our own country.

Such wheats are worth more for seeds than others, but any extravagant

prices for seed wheat, under the idea of almost miraculous powers of

production, are unwise.

It would be useless to go into a more extended notice of varieties, as

some do best in certain localities, and all are rapidly spread through

the dealers, and by the influence of agricultural periodicals. The best

time to harvest wheat is when the straw below the head has turned

yellow, and the grain is so far out of the milk as not to be easily

mashed between the fingers, but before it has become hard. The grain is

heavier and of better quality, and wastes far less in harvesting, than

when allowed to ripen and dry standing in the field. Drying in good

shocks is far better than drying before cut. Some have gone to extremes

in early cutting, and harvested their wheat while in the milk, and

suffered serious loss in its weight. We sometimes have rain in harvest,

which causes all the wheat in a large region to grow before getting it

dry enough to house. A remedy is, to go right on and cut your wheat,

rain or shine, and put it up, without binding, in large cocks of from

three to five bushels, packing together as close as possible, however

wet, and cover the centre with a bundle of wheat to shed rain. It will

dry out without growing; and, although the straw will be somewhat

mouldy, the grain will be perfectly good, even when it has been so wet

as to make the top of the shocks perfectly green with grown wheat. This

process is of great value in a wet season. To prepare seed-wheat for

sowing, soak it for a day or two in very strong brine; skim off all that

rises; remove the grain from the brine, and while wet, sift on

fresh-slaked lime until it slightly coats the whole grain; put on a

little plaster to render the sowing more pleasant to the hand. Wheat

will lie in this condition for days without injury. So prepared, it will

exhibit a marked superiority in the growing crop.

_Enemies_ of wheat are numerous, and various remedies are proposed. The

wire-worm is sometimes very destructive. Wheat planted with a drill,

with a heavy cast-iron roller behind each tooth, will not suffer by

them; they will only work in the mellow ground between the drills. Drive

over a field of wheat exposed to injury from wire-worms with a common

ox-cart, and you will notice a marked difference; wherever the

cartwheel passed over, the wheat remains unharmed by the wire-worm,

while on either side much of it will be destroyed. But the wheat-midge,

or weevil, is the great enemy, rendering the cultivation of wheat in

some localities useless. One precaution is, to get the wheat forward so

early and fast as to have it out of the way before they destroy it. This

is often done by early sowing, high fertilization, and warm land.

Sometimes wheat is too late for them, and then a good crop is secured.

But this can only be relied on in cool, moist climates. Our hot, dry

seasons are not suitable for wheat, late enough to be out of the way of

the weevil. The great remedy for this enemy is his destruction. Burning

the chaff at thrashing is useless for this purpose. The worm has

entered the ground to remain for the winter, before the wheat is

harvested. We know of but one way to kill the weevil, and that is, by

insect lamps or torches in the field in the evening. The flies are

inactive until evening, when, from dusk till eight or nine o'clock, they

deposite their eggs in the blossoms and chaff of the wheat. Now, it is

ascertained that this fly, like many other insects, will fly several

rods to a light. Twenty-five torches at equal distances, in a ten-acre

lot of wheat, would be near enough. Nearly all the flies in a field

would fly to them in half an hour. These need be lighted only on

pleasant evenings, as weevils will not work in wind or rain, and they

only commit their depredations during the time the wheat is in blossom.

Let twenty-five racks, or holders of some kind, be put up on ten acres

of wheat, and have pitch-pine put in them and ignited, after the manner

of night fishermen, and let this be done a few nights, during the

blossoming season of wheat, and the fly will be destroyed and the crop

saved, in the worst weevil-season that ever occurred. In the absence of

pitch-pine, some other light can be devised--as, balls of rags dipped in

turpentine and sulphur, as in a torchlight procession. Something can be

devised that will burn brilliantly for an hour: this will not cost fifty

cents an acre, during the weevil-season, and will prove almost a perfect

remedy.

Rust in wheat is only avoided by getting your wheat to maturity before

the rust strikes it. If it is nearly mature, and the rust strikes it,

cut it and shock it up in the shortest time possible.

Wheat is a great subject in agriculture, on which many volumes have been

written, and on which it is customary to write long articles. We trust

the recapitulation of what we have said, in the following brief rules,

is more valuable to the practical wheat-culturist than any large volume

could be. Analyses of wheat-bran and straw, the philosophy of rust in

wheat, the length, size, and color of the weevil, and the great

diversity of opinions on wheat-growing, are not what practical men

regard. The one question is, How can I grow wheat surely and profitably?

The following rules answer this important question, rendering failure

unnecessary:--

1. Make your soil very rich, putting the manure as deep as convenient.

Apply lime, wood-ashes, and potash, the latter dissolved and applied to

your coarse manure.