Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-04-30
From the Farmors' Monthly Visitor.
ON RAISING OF WHEAT.
OF SEED TO PREVENT SMt

Fromthc Farmers Monthly Visitor.
ON RAISING OF WHEAT.
| PRrpARArIoN OF SEED TO PREvENr SMUT
/ The preparation of the seed take from an En-.
glish account published some years since, which
practice | have adopted for five or six years past
with success, and do think much of it.
| Make a brine Of common salt strong enough to
bare up hens egg then put in your wheat, not
more than the brine will cover. Stir and skim as
anything will rise. 1t will float Off all the liqht
kernels Of wheat, oats, light kernels of cookie
smut, or any that is injurious to the seed. Then
take the wheat out, and put into the same brine a.
mother lot and so on Till you have cleaned all you
wish. After washing put the wheat into heap
| let it lay six hours-then mix sufficient quantity
Of dry ashes, plaster of paris or lime then imme
dlatcIy SOW your wheat. am very particular as
to time,
l The result is, | have not found but two smut
heads since adopted this method, and think it
beneficial in preventing worms from destroying
the seed, well as adding to the growth of the
wheat The English account says, las well in
dvlduals with whom | conversed from Englandl
that it has been tried a farm for forty years, and
was always successful. More proofs from the same
account might offer; but am satisfied from my
own experience OF the beneficial results.
WEDDING OF WHEAT.
| weed my wheat always twice. The first time
when the wheat is three or four inches high then
again Just before it begins to head out. use an
instrument called grub. 1t is like a cabinet ma.
ker's gouge, about one and one fourth Of inch
in diameter with socket into which | insert
handle, say four or five feet long. With this in.
slrument one man may go over large piece of
ground in day. The method is to take the grub
and cut off thistle dock, or any thing that is in
furious to the wheat at the surface of the ground
and 'eave it on the spot where it cut off. A
field that has had this dressing will look much bet
ter weeds always take the start of the wheat and
retdr,l the growth. This practice always pays the
| farmer great price for his labor.
IIARvEsTING WHEAT.
| commence cutting my wheat when it is very
green, when | find the kernel is out of the milk
and about as bard as flour dough, which you may
] know by squeezing the kernel between your fin.
gers. then cut it as fast ms can, either in fair
weather or not, do not let 1t lay in the gravel on
the ground exposed either 10 the sun or rain, but
bind it up in single bands near the butt, set it M
= in stocks of eight bundles on the ground in the
form of pair Of rafters the butts as far apart as
possible with two shcats put on the top for protect
ion In this way will dry very quick, and the sap
in the straw will afford nourishment to the kernels
= sufficient to prevent 1t from shrinking too much
!. BY this method find the kernel retains all its
goodness, and the straw makes excellent fodder
j for neat stock, because it renins all the sap that
Is the wheat does not absorb. Wheat cured in this
way thrashes very easy, and will not shell out by
,, cartng to the barn
70 | think farmers are not aware how green they
VI may cut their wheat and what saving they ma,
have in the quality of wheat and straw. They
have only 10 try this method and | feel assured
~ they will find it to their interest.
= IL the summer of 1888 sowed one and three
Ie iourihs of an acre of wheat in one lot. Whel
T. harvested and thrashed, had seventy bushels
~ One full acre was stouter than the three-fourths
III therefore | calculate the acre produced forty
~ twD bushels, and the three iourths at the rate
1T thirty eight bushels TO the acre. The kind c
< wheat so~ed was Siberian and red chat. | Gen
u orally sow to the acre one bushel and half c
"e seed, | have had the most to the acre when SOW
from the 18th to the ooh of May. My usual Gro
Of wheat is from % to 80 bushels to the acre, wit
~ common tlllage
60 PREPARATION OF LAND.
cd ] plough and harrow my wheat land three Q
more times and harrow between ploughngs ill
ne think it sufficiently mellow before sowing. llk
os the practice, after sowing the last time OF going
il. yer the ground to have it done with light hrusl
'f 1t leaves the surface Of the ground smoother an
ms covers all the bare kernels. | seldom NAL,
nv wheat ground TOO rich or rich enough appl
tn barn yard manure with about an equal quantity
he leached ashes from my potash, ashes that | hay
od used on tage and moving land in lots In dlereI
md years from three to eight thousand bushels Ate
nv they have been thrown out from the ashery, fin
wi eached ashes valuable on all tillnge land
as preventing worms from destroying the seed.
nj few years since a neighbor of nine planted
!, piece of corn on his land adjoining mine soil ma
- urally about the same The worms destroyed h
% corn before wedding, SO that he did not hoe it an
rod had 40 crop while had from fifty to sixty bushe
lis' to the acre. Leached ashes are good on mown
md land, if spread on the surface. They will proye
ent large white worms which often cut OIL the roots
grass under the surface of the ground. The re-
Of sou is obvious. They do but little injury on az
,J, ground where lenched ashes are used, The quar-
,ne tity apply generally about twelve OK cart load
rio with as much more barn yard manure. The far
Inc which occupy Is an upland farm, strong and r.
nd tenye soil. Leached ashes are good on dry NOV
ing lands and find from experience, have goo
i effect on quite moist soil
he GENERAL REMARKS.
ion, sometimes hear farmers say they do not b
me lieve in the idea of book farming. In answer,
cen would say, II my neighbors raise 40 bushels
- Wheat TO the acre. and another 20 bushels
i've corn to the acre, another raises from 400 TO 81
bushels of potatoes to the acre, and another Gu
c from three to four tons of hay to the acre, which
Y, have done for years pns and the land is not II
to poverlshed, is this Book farming or an eXpernie
ere worth publishing? VIII it be known unless it
few communicated to the public in the Farmers Mon
4 to lly Visitor, or other publication? | am pc
lied suaded it is OF importance TO farmers 10 know ho
ory this is done, the kind of soil on which it is don
ler- aud the method Of cultivation.
think much of the improvements that are nc