Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1842-10-01
Agricultural Department.
CULTURE OF WHEAT.


wish to give you for insertion in the Gull
tivator, some opinions, experiments, and
results, OF mine in the culture Of wheat.
in doing this, shall take UP the subject
under the scycrnl divisions Of
!. TINE OF SOWING AND PREPARATION
OF SEED.-Experience has convinced inc.
that in our latitude the hes, time to SOW
wheat, is from the first to the middle Of
September. have sown in August; but
have found tina. the hot dry weather usu
ally prevailing in that month. is unfavor-
nhle to vigorous and healthy germina-
ton Of the seed, while later sowing Sc
cures better growth. md at tho same
time gives the plant a sufficient root to
withstand our winters. one 81 tho mos,
serious difficulties with which farmers
have 10 contend. Too late sowing does
not do this. and such wheat, except IN
rarely escape badly freezing out.
have tried various methods Of preparing
wheat for sowing, but the most satisfac-
tory and least expensive results, have
been obtained from soaking it in strong
brine, and drying in quick lime. The
lime should be good or cnustic, or the de
sired effect will not be proaacea. have
used lime which had been Stacked for so
long time as to he quite mild, and i,
proved 40 better in preventing smut,
than WOULD as much common mould.
have used plaster for drying blined
wheat, but Judging from the results, the
effect, so Gar ms smut was concerned, was
decidedly injurious. A part Of the same
field lined. was whociy exempt from
smut: the seed sown witl,ou, any prepa-
ration was slightly smn,,cd; that dried
in plaster, was almost destroyed by smut
2. PREPARATION OF THE SOIL AND Man
NER OF SowlNG.-A thorough summer
following is the best preparation Of the
soil that can be given for a wheat crop;
one that leaves no weed to Interfere with
the future crop, and at the same time
subjects every part Of the soil to the ben
eiits Of atmospheric action. do not ap-
prove Of the direct application Of meas
urcs to the wheat crop.-rwo evils re-
suit from this course; one is. that the
stalk OF the plant is stimulated at the ex-
pense Of the berry, being apt to ledge
and shrink; and the other is, that bnrn
yard manure is apt to contain SO many
foul seeds. us to render it certain thai
when applied to the wheat crop, vigor-
Gus and injurious growth oilhese inter-
lopers may be exlec'ed. When soils
nre rich and clean. summer following
may be dispensed with in mos. cases, one
or two plowings being sufficient for the
getting in the seed well; but ii must be
remembered there ure very few farms
that have been SO manfred, powed, and
thoroughly cultivated, US 70 render this
course admissible.
as 10 The manner Of sowing wheat,
prefer that which approaches the near
est to drilling; finding that rncthod pre-
ferable for several reasons find that
wheat sown in that way is less liable 10
freeze out, (and that is the most serious
difficulty that have to mcc:. J than when
distributed equally over the ground. Ii
10 almost uniformly the single plants that
freeze out; sthc sc that grow in clusters
escaping, and drill sowing, or any man.
ner that resembles, pluces the seed in a
way that unites the strength OF the
plants. Consequently, prefer furrow-
ing my fields at such distances as wish
the wheat 70 grow, from seven to ten in
ches. and sowing my seed On land so
furrowed. Every farmer knows that in
this case, the greater part Of the seed
will fall or roll to the deepest part Of the
fnrrow, aud be thus deposited with near.
" as great regularity as il the drill was
used. In covering the seed, FIRST har-
row the same way as the filrrow, and
then crosswisc, which dis,urbs the
position Of the seed but very little,
and givesit about the requisite depth.
il the lnrrow made by the pillow, on
which the seeds sown, is six or seven
inches in depth, the covering Of the seed
viii not bcjlar Gom two and hall or three
inches, w3icl, think is .he proper depth
FOR Ihc perfect termination Of the seed
sanl Tho security Of the plant. have
tried,many experiments in the sowing or
wheat, such as sowing, narrowing smooth,
aud then Grrowing as Tor potatoes, SOW.
ing, and paoughipg into ridges; sowing
and PlSughing in tho seed, without har-s
rowing; sowing and narrowing alone; and
the Wy l haysatQre described, has been
more successlnk with me than any o,her
Whei. wheat il sown in dtils, or 50 as 70