Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1845-10-01
From the Indiana Farmer & Gardener.
Cultivation Of Wheat.
No 2

certainly, they ought 10 th'
LANDS may he kept in heart by the adoption OF a
rotation suited to each particular so or II frequent
wheat crops raised by falows or manuring 1t ls
fact that in this nehborhood farms in the hands OF care
full yielding better crops OF wheat every year;
while mutudes of farmers think themselves fortunate
twelve fifteen bushels the there is another
class who expect twenty-five thirty bushels, and in
good seasons, get it. This is encouraging As our
lands get older may look for yet better things We
predict that central Indiana WILL before ten are
passed. shew greater to the than any other
portion of the State; if this too strong will
saw great Northern Indiana and Michigan will put
acres, but IA will lay work
few Some farmers the north of from
100 500, and 1000 of wheat The native
qualities Of the soil relied upon for the crop To
clover such body of land is impossible with
any capital at the command of its owners. But with
each owner Of quarter section puts in from
~ it lies within his dress this quantity
of land to high degree.
9. SOILS fit Jor uheat.-A vegetable mould cannot
yield wheat because does contain, and refore
cannot afford to the crop sicae Of potash, phosphate
of magncsa; the first of which gives strength the
stem, and the second Of which necessary the grain.
On such soil wheat may gown grass, but
grain.
A sand will not yield wheat because wheat
quires soils soda magnesia, and
especially silicate Of potash
All iclays contain potash which Is Indispensable to
wheat; but they may be deficient Soda
and in other akalcs.
calcarious clay loan may be regarded the best
soil for wheat. And when it does not exist in natural
state, all the additions in the form of manure should
be with reference to the formation of such SOIL
If the land be light and sandy, clay and mari, wood
should be added, together with barn yard
if the soil is tenacious clay, it should be warmed
and mclowcd by the application of sand and mannre
if it is deficient in lime, lime in substances or in mari
be given; vegetable moulds if heavily dressed with
wood ashes and lime, may be brought to produce wheat
3. To prepare The ground.-1his operation depends
upon the condition of the SOIL But in all the
deepest blowing is the best The roots of wheat, if
checked, will extend than five feet Stiff, tough
soils, unbroken for years. and especially if mu, tram
pied by CATTLE will require strong teams Oxen are bet
than horses to break with 1t has been said that a
yoke cattle draw pillow deeper naturally than span
of They certainly better fitted for dull dead
heavy pulling And if have been well trained, they
will do much blowing in season as horses, and come
out Of the work in better condition.
Eallow lands should be broken up early in summer
planting is over; about midsummer Plow
agan the early September prepare for
seed.
grass clover lays may be Plowed under deeply at
mid summer and disturbed till sowing me and the
fall blowing should not disturb the inverted sod.
When wheat is TO be wheat again, as large a
part of the should be left the harvest field pos
sibe. This to be powed under; but, if it be done
without endangerng the fences, it would be better to
orer the ashes will contain all the valuable salts
On this point extrac: the following note appended
by the editor of Liebigs Agricultural Chemistry
..In parts of the grand-duchy of Hesse, where
and dear, customary for the
people to club together and build which are
heated with straw instead of wood The ashes of this
carefully collected and sold
high prices The farmers there found by expe
the ashes of straw form the very best manure fol-
wheat although it exerts no influence on the growth of
fallowcrops potatoes or the egumnos9 for example,
The of wheat grown in this way possesses
common strength. The of the favorable action
ashes will be apparent when it is considered tina
all corn-plants require sicae of potash and that tn,
ashes of consist almost entirely OF this compound
But this procedure does depend upon Theoretical
reasonincs has been abunlanty substanated by th
practice of English culivators We find on page 1893 o
the BRlr1s HuspANpRy admirable work published undo
of the Society for the Diffusion Of Use
full knowledge, the following statement:
The ashes Of burnt sfratc have also been found bene
by many intelligent practical farmers from
whose experiments select the following instances
Advantage taken of fine day to fire the stubbc
field after harvest. the Precaution havin
been previously taken of sweeping round the boundar
to prevent injury the hedges The operation east
~ performed. by simply applying light to windward
ii completely destroyed weed that eavin
the surface completely covered with ashes; and the io
lowing CROP which was wheat produced fu hve guar
of which that in following season. the stubble hav
ing partly plowed in according to the common prac
tice and partly burned and the land with wheat
the crop produced eight bushels on that
which ha been burned than on that which had bee
plowed in. The same experiment was repsatea, on on
ferent occasions, with similar results and foowin
crop having been laid down with Seeds the Glove
was perfectly healthy, while that portion on who
the burning the stubble had been omitted, choke
with weeds. must, however, be recoected that if in
tended have decided effect the subble must be le
Of a considerable length which will occasion materi,
deficiency of farm-yard though the advantage
will be gained of saving the cost Of moving the stubs
the seeds weeds and insects will be consde raby de
stroyed and land will be left unmpeded for the ope
ration of the piow.
On the wolds of Lincolnshire the practice of not onl
burning the subblc but the straw of threshcd grain
has carried. in cases. TO the extent Of four
loads Del acre. and it is described IN the repo
of the conty has been attended in all those instance
with verv decidedly good effect 1t is said to hay
been found SUPERIOR in some comparative trials TO yar
dung in respective rate of five of straw 10 te