The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1845-10-09
QglAL 990l olgs
Rrnm thr Far,ner.' G,sl.lnr,.
broadcast and Drilled wheat.

Pom the fanneEs cshinsi.
broadcast and Drilled Wheat.
Al the present period. hen the pliee 81
agricultural produce Of every Description
j. so reduced, IL becomes al great impor,
lance 10 tie farmer n lOuk round aud zee
wheiher he rannet increase the Irudnce
afh's soil wilhIul Increasing his expenses.
Tins j. particularly ncedlul in rai.lng
wheat. From some causes. perhaps n0l
well understood, the wheat crop has be-
came. in The Eastern aud Atianli States,
exceedingl. pnrariuns.
Our wheat, even when NOT attacked by
enemies-snea as rust or ft-has been
gradually diminishing IN ihe amount Fsls.
cd 10 the acre. The report Of the Far
mers' Club Of New York states that the
quantity has decreased there from 80 10
10 or Is bushels per acre. This diminu-
ton il owing, probably, TO the Land being
gralu ,lly Rubbed Of the chemical eunsll-
luenis OF the wheat, by sending the grain
away, while we retain lhs straw for fond
10 supply sureelingcrops; hence IL we put
on enough o. this KIND Of manure, we
may raise large crops Of straw, but not
grain, IN prOpa lion. And further a. il
we thought We had ct too mach grain,
we have our manure yards 81 planned. that
the saline parts (which are the most i'm.
porIanl in The formation Of the grain, ani
which are soluble in walei) have every
fclliiy 30 enable them 10 be washed away
by repeated showers.
But is our preSent method Of planting
or sowing wheat the most likely 10 insure
The largest yield! This is what now wish
10 speak Of. In the work Of Jelhro Tull.
(hc father Of thorough tillage,) printed
about one hundred years ago, he states thai,
while other farmers we're sowing two
OF three bushels Of wheat TO the acre, and
resping only fifteen or twenty bushels, he
drilled about half bushel in three rows,
about eigh. inches apart, in The mi Idle of
six feet wide lands, aud usually obtained
about 40 or 80 bushels per acre-and this
without The aid of much manure. This
success he attributed 10 tilIing the land
While The wheat was growing. lie turn
ed the furr1w with what he called his
hoe plough, alternately from and TO the
rows Of wheat, like many WIN use the
plough are in the habit of filling their
corn. In the spaces Of eight inches be-
tween the rows, the ground was loosened
BY hand hoeing.
This plan. though not adapted TO Anne.
rican farming, for the reason that general
ly, we wish grass to follow our wheat
crop. was yet deemed sufficiently plausi-
BILE to determine us 10 give fair trial to the
drilling, in comparison with the broadcast
plan. Accordingly, in the fall Of 1913.
our field tthe clover being all ploughed
under, and light dressing Of manure
about ten-horse cart loads to the acre
being spread on the surfacel was nicely
narrowed. We commenced at one side,
sowed broadcast about six acres, with
two bushels of seed to the acre. In about
a week afterwards, we were furnished
with drill by our enterprising ighbor,
John Jones. of Bohemia Manor, who
owned the only wheat drill in the State Of
Delaware. Commencing on the Goth OF
the 9th month, we drilled about % acres,
putting in about 10 acres day, with one
bushel aud one peck Of seed TO the acre.
The cost Of the drill Including the servi- |
res of one man and one horse was SO
gents an acre, though horses were requir.
ed to work the drill. All the wheat, both
drilled aud broadcast, stood the winter
we'll. To appearance the broadcast look
ed best; it appeared thicker. both in the
tall and in the spring. The drilled wheat
by our neighbors generally was pronounc-
edtno thin, and was considered by them
failure.
In the 18th month the weather was very
airy and warm, which seemed unfavorable
DOR wheat. II appeared to stop it from
sloomg sufficiently, causing it to shoot
up prematurely, and too thiuly; but when
me heads were formed, there was a mani
lest difference between the length of the
arllled and the broadcast-ihose on the
arl'Ied wheat being decidedly langer. !
The whole crop was free from rust or fly,
excepting along one head land, which had
oeen eaten off by cattle when about one
Loot or IS inches height, where we
found the fly in abundance-sh showing,
certainly, that insects are most likely to
attack those plants whose powers have
Deen impaired; thus teaching farmers that
Inc most likely way 10 avoid The fly, and
even rust, is to keep their plants. by all
Ahown means, in as healthy a condition
as they possibly can; for where one field
OF vigorous wheat will be destroyed by
'ne lily or rust, ten " i'll be which are eth |
erpu. in badly, or are too poor,
Previous 70 harvest, we had five acres