A GRAND ENGLISH WHEAT.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1885, 11 May 1878, Page 5 (Supplement)

A GRAND ENGLISH WHEAT.

Concerning a wheat which, although long known, has become long famous in the mother country during late years Mr Browick, of Bedford, sends lengthy particulars to ' The Field.' We are not aware of thoßrowick wheat having been introduced to the colonies, but from the description given it would appear to fully warrant a trial. Mr Browick says : — > At the beginning of the harvest I went into Norfolk to see the orignal stock of this — the most extensively grown of all our English wheats — in its own home : and, having been either a grower or a seller of it for twenty years at least, it need not be said that there were points of interest to which I desired to pay special attention. A few jottings from ray note book may not be uninteiesting to others. Let me therefore notico its origin, character, and the cultural methods adopted by the grower. Origin. — One naturally likes to trace a great river to its head, though it is not possible in evnry case to do this, so many springs claiming to be the true source. With tho Browick wheat, howevor, there is no such difficulty — it had but one home and one paternity. la 18 tl Mr Banham was living atßrowick (hence the name), a few miles from his present residence, Flordon Hall, and in tho fine harvost of that year his wheat consisted chiefly of the old-fashioned " Spalding" variety. Well, in a field his Irish reapers were cutting Mr BanHam's eye detected a couple of fine square ears liner and squaror than tho rest of the crop, and on a taller, stiffer straw. He carefully gathored and took thorn home, rubbed them out, dibblod the grain singly in tho garden, sowed tho following year's produce, and by 1848 was enabled to sow a large breadth himself, as well as to supply some of his neighbours, who were anxious to test. Now, in doingng this, it may be said he has only done what any man might do for himself. Precisely so ; any navigator could have discovered America if he had the faith to sail Westward far enough ; but, as a rule there are not many men who care to bo "fashed," as the Scotch phrase expressively puts it ; and we are all indebted to men like Robert Banham and a few others who have dono their part well to promote tho national wealth in this lino of action. Character. — On Mr Banham'sland, a stiff hard soil, that needs careful watching to secure the right season upon it, and in the dry climate of East Anglia (about 20 inches of annual rainfall) the Browick wheat retains a distinctiveness of type that is very marked. No finer red wheat is sold in Norwich Corn Exchance ; it i.s in his hands as thin in tho skin and as light in tho grain as Golden Drop Or the old lied Lammas. lam aware that when removed to other districts it needs renewing from the pareut stock to retain its valuable qualities. Whenevor sown alongsido of local growths of tho same sort in various counties, I have seen it many times over, that you could tell to an inch where Mr Bauham's own growth began ; and this difference was marked throughout the whole period of growth. A painstaking grower in Cheshire — a mau of careful methods and observation — says that this yoar he has some scwt more straw per acio from seed supplied by tho orignal grawer, and a quarter per acre more corn, and ho thinks in his case he has got an increass in value of — i n wheat, L 2 17s Cd ; in straw (at least). 15s; total, L 3 12s 6d per aero in cost of seed. The straw seldom lodges, even on laud that is given to ■ root weakness, where there in fair culture and the land is firm under foot. It is noc liable to mildew, and will ripen to tho full as early as any local varieties in any part of tho country. 1 have sown it on the laut d.iy of February in Warwickshire, after swedes fell oft', with the best results, only a little shorter in straw than when planted in autumn. And this year Mr Banham had a field of a most promising look, which was sown in the month of March ; of course it was later at harvest than the other fields. Tho diatiuctiveness of character is no uncertain thing — it is real, solid, marked — and there is as much " blood" and " breeding about it as there is iv our higher classes of cattlo and sheep. Methods of Culture — It need not be remarked that Mr Banbam has kept it vory select, and that he grows nothing else upon his farm. I looked over field after field in vain for a false ear. The travelling tin-easing machines have a great deal to answer for in the way of intcraixturc of vai-ieties. Every two or three seasons, and always in a good yielding year, Mr Banham selects a few of the finest eais with the utmost painstakingness, and the whole process of repropagating is gone through with as much care as at the beginning. There is nothing accidental about it. Tho possession of hereditary qualities is not obtained in a day. Many a fai mer says, " Wheat is wheat, ju3t as an egg is an egg.*' But you never get any marked type of grain in the one case nor any breed of fowls in the other from this method of procedure. And I have no hesitation in sayiug that the man who takes the proper pains in either case is entitled to look for, and to command a price for his labor, patience, and skill.- Having sent Mr Banham's own growth of wheat into most counties of England, to many parts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Continent, I can safely say that I have never known it to disappoint the grower, if fairly tested in other respects. It should bean object with all of us toseek to raise tho yield of our harvest to the highest possible maximum. The times in which we live demand this. The agricultural is still the greatest of our British interests. Some have been crying out " Give over corn growing, lay down the land to grass, and import whatever grain we require." Admitted that all this could

be done, I do not believe in the desirability of it, and hope that still from three or four millions of seres will be devoted to the growth of our chief English cereal, and that far less than .£25,000,000 of money may be sent out of the country for food for England's sons. I recantly asked the opinion of Borne two or three hundred practical men in various parts of the kingdom to M'hom , I have 'supplied seed corn last season ; and the average increased return, which is noted to the credit of a good change of seed, is fully six bushels per acre. And yet there are numbers of men everywhere, good and true, but I venture to say with a misapprehension on this subject, that again and again offer less than cost price for well grown stock of seed corn with a character to them. Good blood, whether animal or vegetable, is never dear.