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from him some curious information. It was the constant practice, he said, in his neighbourhood, for farmers, after they had broken up ley ground, first to take a crop of turnips, and in the autumn, or rather winter, to sow wheat in the same ground. Should winter fodder be scarce, they then preserve the turnip crop for stock, and consequently could not put in wheat before January; and even then with no probability of having more than two thirds of an usual crop, because of the late sowing. This was an evil of great magnitude, and led him, he added, to make trial of a mode peculiarly successful, enabling him to sow his seed in the proper season, and to save the most valuable of his turnip crop during the winter.

He got, he said, his turnip seed into the ground early in June; and in October, by which time the turnips would have grown to a large size, he had the largest of them drawn with out injuring the leaves, and then placed close to each other on the grass in the orchard, in the same position in which they grew. Their leaves preserved them from external injury; and their tap-roots put out in a short time other fibrous roots into the grass, which in orchards is generally long in the autumn; and thus the turnips were preserved good for use.

I enquired whether the turnips acquired any additional size after their removal into the orchard, and whether, from the warmth occasioned by the turnips to the ground, any advantageous effect was apparent in the appie-trees. On these questions he was not able to speak positively, though he thought the turnips had increased in size; and he thought, likewise, that the crops of apples appeared larger, and the annual bearings more certain, in the orchard I

was observing, than in those where no turnips were put; though, till the time I spoke, he had not even guessed at the cause.

On the Culture of Spring Wheat. By Sir Joseph Banks, Bart.

[From the Same.]

Real spring wheat, the Triticum Estivum, or summer wheat of the botanists, is a grain too tender to bear the frosts of the winter; but as quick in progress from its first shoot to ripeness, as barley, oats, or any other spring corn.

It is well known on all parts of the continent, and much used in France, where it is called Blé de Mars, from the season in which it is usually sown; and in some provinces Bleds Tremois, from the time it takes between seed-time and harvest; in Spanish it is called Trigo de Marzo: in Portuguese, Trigo Tremes; and in German Sommer Waitzen; all which names mark distinctly the difference between this and winter corn.

It does not appear from the older books on husbandry, that it was at any former period much cultivated in England; the more modern ones are in general silent on the subject of it. They mention, indeed, under the name of spring wheat, every kind of winter wheat which will ripen when sown after turnips in February. This is probably the reason why the real spring wheat has been so little known; agriculturalists in general, conceiving themselves to be actually in the habit of sowing spring wheat, when in reality they were substituting winter wheat in its place, have. been little inclined to enquire into the properties of the real spring wheat when they had an opportunity of so doing.

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In the lower parts of Lincolnshire, called in that neighbourhood white where the land is the most valuable, clay. Such land, though tolerably proand consequently the most subject to ductive in barley and seeds, is not to mildew, spring wheat has been long be compared with the rich and fertile known, and it is yow cultivated to a tracts of South Holland ; and yet the great extent. Mr. Sers, of Gedney, culture of spring wheats has of late near Spalding, bas this year claimed years increased, and is now increasa premium of the board for the ing fast, because the millers begin to largest quantity of land sown with understand its nature, and cease to spring wheat in 1805; his quantity undervalue it as they did at first. is 241 acres, and there is no reason The grain of spring wheat is conto suppose that he added a single siderably smaller than that of winter acre to his crop on account of the wheat ; in colour it resembles red board's offer. He is a man who, by lammas so much, that it may be his skill and talents in agriculture mixed with that grain, and this mixalone, has raised bimself to opulence, ture will do no injury to the seller, and possesses a considerable landed as spring wheat weighs heavy; nor estate, for which he is certainly in part to the buyer, as it yields better at indebted to the free culture of spring the mill than from its appearance wheat during the last thirty years. might be expected; Golb. a bushel is

Mr. Sers sows spring wheat from about its usual weight, Mr. Sers's, of the 25th of March tiil the first week this year, weighed 61lbs. and he has in May; for a full

crop

sold some mixed with less than half fourteen pecks on an acre, and ex- of red lammas, at the usual marketpects to reap four quarters ; if he price of the winter wheat of the last sows sceds under it, which is very harvest, though the winter wheat is generally practised, he sows nine better in quality this year, and the pecks, and expects three quarters in spring worse than usual. return; he finds it thrive nearly In the countries best acquainted equally well on his stiff and his light with its culture, spring wheat is preland; and has found it, by expe- ferred to all other coru for raising a rience, to be exempt from the nil- crop, of seeds. This is owing to the dew or blight, and free from all da- small quantity of leaf it bears, less mage of the grub or wire-worm.- perhaps than any other corn, and to The farmers in South Holland, where the short duration of the leaf, which Mr. Sers sides, uniformly declare fades and falls down almost as soon, that they have been many years ago

as it has attained its full size. compelled, by frequent attacks of In cases where red wheat has been the mildew or blight, to abandon al- damaged by the wire-worm, a mismost entirely the sowing of winter chief which seems of late years to wheat, and that they then substi- have increased in this island, spring tuted spring wheat in its place, and wheat appears to hold out an easy liave used it ever since : they believe and a simple remedy. In the fist it to be wholly exempt from the mil. week of May the ravages of the worm dew or blight. In the neighbour- have abated somewhat; if then the hood of Horncastle, where I live, seed of spring wheat is at that time the land is either light or sanidy, or dibbled, or only raked with a garcomposed chiefly of Norfolk marle, den rake into the naked spots left by

the

the worm, though it will not attain the growth at which the worm begins to prey upon it till he has changed his stale for that of a winged beetle, will certainly be ripe as soon as the winter wheat, and may be thrashed out and sold with it; or if it is preferred, may be reaped separately, as the appearance of the ears, which in the Lincolnshire sort have longer beards or awms, than the rivett or cone wheat, will point it out to the reapers in such a manner that no great error can happen in separating it from the lammas.

In years of scarcity, this wheat offers a resource which may occasionally be of the utmost importance to the community; of this the board were very sensible last spring, when they offered premiums for the increase of its culture, which have had the effect of rendering it much more generally known than otherwise would have been the case. The price of wheat seldom advances much, even in very scarce years, till a considerable portion of the crop has been thrashed out, and the yield of it by this means actually ascertained; but this does not take place till the seedtime of winter wheat is wholly over; no speculation, therefore, of sowing an increased quantity of that grain can be entered into during the first year of a scarcity; but before the end of April the question of the average-yield of the preceding crop will be generally known, and when it is much below the usual proportion, there can be no doubt that a large quantity of spring wheat will be sown, if the seed can be easily procured.

It is rather melancholy to reflect, that the progress of agricultural improvements has in some instances advanced in the inverse ratio of the utility of the novelty recommended to the public. Tobacco and potatoes VOL. XLIX.

reached Europe at much the samne period, the time wheu Virginia was setled by Sir Walter Raleigh; but an ineffectual firmaum was issued by the Great Mogul against the use of tobacco, long before potatoes were com monly cultivated in the gardens of England; and that nauseous weed reached the farthest extremities of the Chinese empire, in spite of the obstacles placed by the government of that country against the introduction of novelties of any kind, long before potatoes had occupied any extensive portion in the field-cultivation of this island.

Lest the revival of the culture of spring wheat, even under the liberal protection it has received from the board, may be retarded by this principle, which seems to be inherent in the nature of mankind, it may be adviseable to state here, that in the neighbourhood of Boston and Spalding, in Lincolnshire, the cultivation of it is now fully established, and likely to continue; from either of these places, therefore, the seed may at any future time, as well as at present, be obtained without difficulty; and as there is a water communication between these towns, and as Boston is a sea-port, it may always be brought to London, or any other maritime part of England, at a small charge.

In times when dearth recurs, which will occasionally happen as long as the manufacturing interest insists on keeping the price of corn, in a plentiful harvest, below the actual cost of growing it, speculations on the sowing of spring wheat may be carried so far as to raise the price of seed till a saving in it becomes a matter of political as well as of economical import ance; an experiment is therefore, added, to shew that spring wheat will succeed as well by dibbling as by broadcast, made in the spring 1804.

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Mr. William Showler, an intelligent farmer at Revesby, in Lincolnshire, dibbled four pecks and a half of spring wheat on one acre and two roods of middling land, which had borne turnips the winter before, and had no extraordinary preparation for this crop; the rows were eight inches asunder; the holes four inches asunder and two inches deep; two grains were put into each hole.

The produce from the quantity of 4 pecks of seed was 7 quarters; or 4 quarters, i bushel, and 1 peck, an acre; a fair crop, and as much at least as could have been expected from 18 or 21 bushels sown broadcast on the same land.

By a careful analysis in the wet way, conducted by professor Davy, of the Royal Institution, the following results have been obtained from different kinds of wheat:

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From this ingenious analysis we may fairly deduce, that bread made of the flour of spring wheat is more nutritious than that made of winter wheat, because spring wheat contains a larger proportion of the gluten or half-animalised matter; and also that a miller ought not to deduct from the price of spring wheat more than 2 per cent. on the mouey price of winter wheat of the same weight, as the excess of the weight of insoluble matter, or bran, is no more than 2 per cent. when compared with good English winter wheat.

Bread made of spring wheat is rather less white than that made of the

better sorts of winter wheat; but it is allowed to be more palatable in Lincolnshire, where it is best known. Both these qualities are probably owing to the excess of gluten contained in it.

A Plan for improving the Growth of Tares. By Mr. Thomas Herod, of North Creak, Norfolk.

[From Communications to the Board of Agriculture.]

To be sown broad-cast in October, from ten to twelve pecks per acre, with one peck of wheat, then ploughed into four-furrow ridges. In the mouths of April and May, a one horse-plough (double breast) is to be run through the furrows; this will keep them clean, and admit the air to the roots of the tares, and will keep them clean and growing till Midsum

mer.

Observations.

Tares being found very useful for the soiling of cattle, and the best plan of growing them being required by the board, I submit one for their consideration which I have practised seven years with success. They are a plant that contain a great deal of moisture, particularly when young, therefore it is not proper to soil cattle with them in that state without food; those persons who are destitute of that must give them very sparingly, or they injure their stock more than they are aware of. On the general plan of sowing, soon after they are at an age proper for the stock, they begin to rot at the bottom; to obviate which, some people sow rye, some oats, and some barley: the stems of the latter being weak, of course they can have no effect: the former soon get hard, and the cattle refuse to eat

them;

them; and by endeavouring to avoid nure than a thin covering of mould them destroy many of the tares, tread- from an old bank in the same piece; ing them under foot: therefore, on the first crop was but middling; I that plan they cannot be grown to so gave it another thin covering of great advantage as might be hoped mould from the headland of the same for. If it had been considered that piece last year, as the ground was air is the most essential means of the weak. I sowed six pecks of tares, and life both of the animal and vegetable three quarters of a peck of wheat; creation, a different plan would have this proved a good crop, and after been resorted to. It is well known, soiling two horses with them from the that tares grow so close together at end of May till the middle of August, the tops as to exclude all the exter- half a load were cut for seed. I have nal air from the bottoms; and al- always found that two roods of tarés though they keep green at the tops sown on this plan were more than two where they receive the air, they con- horses could eat. I am well continue rotting at the bottoms for want vinced from my own practice, that of it. When they are cut for soiling, tares sown on poor land will improve the stock refusing to eat the decayed it, if repeated a few crops; they juay part, destroy a great deal of the sound also be grown to great advantage, if food: the loss to the growers of this sown on this plan, as the food will plant therefore is not to be calculated! not only be sound and sweet, but also My first attempt of improvement was much greater in quantity. It has on two roods of ground for the soil- been supposed that they would be in. ing of two horses, sown as first stated, convenient to cut on the ridges; but, and ploughed into four-furrow ridges; I believe, they may be cut better than they continued growing with rapidity when they are fallen close to the to the height of near five feet, cling- ground and rotten. The reasons for ing to the wheat. A high wind took my sowing wheat 'among the tares them about Midsummer, and bent are, the stems of the wheat are not them all down, but not close to the only strong, and hold the tares up, ground; some yards might be seen but they are also so sweet that the up the furrows, which appeared like stock will eat them with as much avian arch. These furrows admitted dity as they do the tares, and to as the light as well as the air, which is late a time as the tares are proper to also a means of preserving the plants be cut for soiling. green; for if air is admitted, and light taken away, they may continue growing, but they will lose their colour. Account of the Improvement of a These two roods produced more than

Tract of barren Ground covered niy two horses could eat; after Mid

with Heath, in an elevated Situasummer the remainder were cut, and tion in the County of Peebles. produced half a load of excellent By Mr. James Allan. hay. This land is a sandy soil upon [From the Transactions of the Highland a gravel; six loads of farm-yard

Society of Scotland.] dung were ploughed in with the tares. Last year and the preceding year, I The improvements on the farm of had two roods on a black gravel, Kailzie were begun in 1796, while sown on this plan, had no other ma- the land remained in its natural state,

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