Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1845-11-01
MOVING WHEAT, &c.-BY JAMES M.
GooDHUE.

WessRs. EDiToRs Have any Of your read
ers ever tried the effect Of moving their wheat
in the spring? The experiment has bean
made this season with such decided success
by some of the farmers in this neighborhood,
thar | wish You to be Informed of the results.
Mr.. Ashley had field Of winter wheat grow
ing on the bottom land Of Grant Rivera
stream much like the Du Page. Ia the spring,
when the wheat had grown to the height of
seven or eight nches-and being ,hickIy in
terspersed with weeds, it was evidently too
luxuriant, and threatened 10 be mere mass
of lod yed straw with heads that would never
fill, and in short, not worth harvesting. He
took scythe and moved the greater part Of
the field. The part of the field thus moved
produced fine crop of clean, straight, we'll
filled wheat, entirely free from weeds. The
remainder of the field at the same time was
badly lodged, green, rusty. and in fact not
worth harvesting.
Mr.. Reed Of our place has tried the same
experiment with spring wheat; and with sim
liar results.
The advantage resulting from III owing wheat
in the spring, suppose is principally that
you thereby give light and hea. Of the sun ac-
cess TO the earth and to the roots of the plant.
l, is plain that whea. will thrive best without
blanket on, in summer.
Would not moving also destroy the Hessian
fly effectually -.hat is, the Larvae Of the fly,
deposited under the leaf. 1t nigh, be worth
the trial where the Hessian fly prevails.
Moving wheat is nothing new in husband
~; but, believe, like great many other USE
full facts in husbandry, it is new in our part Of
tho world. find reference made TO the prac-
,ice Of moving wheat in the following extract
from 1.-THE Compleat Body of Husbandry,"
published 10 England one hundred years ago;
by which extract it will also appear that the
old chaps who were then living knew a. least
the alphabet Of wheat growlng-and more than
could be expected, considering how far they
lived from Fox River.
p. $50. Mr.. Yelverton in 1742. had the
prize in Ireland, having six hundred and six
weight stone ard eleven pounds--l53 BUSH
els and 81 one hundredths--of wheat off the
acre. An Irish acre, is here meant.] The
method he took was TO change his seed; then
he sowed it not too thick and he mo,ved it,"
After which follows some further account
Of Mr.. Yelverton's method. In fact, by refer
ring to the work above quoted, find we are
in our own day and country only trying over
again experiments and methods long since
proved and praciced in English husbandry.
A few words more and will close this has.
~ communica,icn-alfeady perhaps too long.
Mr.. Jesse Miles sowed his field Of GA, stubble
and another Of corn stubble at the same time,
with winter wheat. The oats that had scat
tered in harvest sprouted above his wheat, and
formed protection for it through the wiu,er
None of the wheat sowed on the oat s:ubble
was winter killed-while much Of that sowed
amongst the corn froze out. have this infor-
nation from Mr.. Miles. who is a man of truth
and veracty. He believes tina, if oats are
sowed with winter wheat, enough to form an
overgrowth, there is no danger Of wheat being
winter killed. Prai. Farmer.
Lancaster, Grant CO., Wisconsin, Aug. 1e45.