Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1851-08-13
PREPARING GROUND FOR WHEAT.

PREPARING GROUND FOR WHEAT.
In former communication promised to give
your readers Lcme of my experience in agricul-
ture. And here permit me to say, that it is nc
part of my object to write merely for the sake
of appearing before the readers of your valuable
paper ms an author, or for the sake of being read
but for the purpose of helping my brother far.
mers along in their Investigations and labors, to
advance the great cause in which we are enga.
ged. have been in the habit of trying various
experiments on different crops ever since have
been engaged in farming, which is about twenty.
five years and in this way have been able to
satisfy myself on various subjects, which have
been useful to me. have not been satisfied
with trying any one once or twice, but have fol.
lowed them up for a series of years, that might
be more convinced of their utility. l have gen.
orally tried them on small scale, thinking il
more safe than to 90 into more extended opera.
! tons.
have tried both deep and shallow blowing
for those crops usually raised on the farm, and
firmly believe that deep blowing is the only
way to ensure good crop. In breaking up tim
othy and clover sod, prefer to have the pillow
run not less tnan ten inches deep, and this can
be done with good heavy pair of horses, and
generally pillow from one and half to two acres
per day, and if the pillow meets with any obstruc-
ton so as to throw it out of the ground, or par
tally SO, which is frequently the case, especially
if the ground is dry, always back my team and
plow, and turn the sod all over believing that if
a thing is done at all, it should be well DONE
In this way not only get more grain to the
acre, but it is more even than if the land is but
partially plowed, or as some farmers do, cut and
cover and run over their fields and have them
looking as uneven rs if the timber had been
turned up by the roots.
In the March number of the Farmer friend
Dougherty says, If any one of your contribu-
tors will inform us how he tis timothy sod to
make 20 bushels to the acre, | will tell him how
make 25 to 80 on clover, if the land is good"
Now | will not only tell him how | make 90
bushels of wheat to the acre on timothy sod, but
how have made 27f bushels to the acre, on the
average for six years in succession. | have new
er harvested less than 20 bushels to the acre,
and that on an average in the whole field.
| break up the turf as above described, about
the middle Of June turn on my sheep, and in
that way keep my falow free from grass and
weeds | give it thorough narrowing before
| commence cross-p blowing for seeding, which is
about the first of September. After have fin
ished blowing take my team and harrow and
60 crosswise of the burrows, and level them
My time for sowing is from the 10th to the goth
of the month | usually sow from one bushel
to one and peck to the acre, but think I get as
much from one and four quarts as general
thing, rs when have sown more to the acre.
After the seed is sowed the ground narrowed
over twice crosswise tapping one or two teeth
h,lIr L ha, Ill
in raising good crop of wheat OIL timothy
sod, and believe if those farmers who are troub-
led with grass, would pillow their land deep, and
cut it all up, and put in their seed in first rate
and with the blessing of Him who Civ
eth us all things richly to enjoy, they would see
quite difference in their crops.
| select my seed wheat from the ripest and
best of my crop, and in this way my wheat has
showed no signs OF running out, as | have rails
ed the same kind for the last ten years, and my
last crop yielded as much to the acre as the first
and without changing the seed. have raised
but little chess or cookie, my seed is general
ly well cleansed, consequently the Mllers are
perfectly satisfied with it when it is taken to
MARKET as it has good berry and will recon-
mend itself, and is much more profitable. And
how much better one feels, than he does to have
the miller unite the bags and grumble because it
is so foul and shrunk, and get locked three or
four pounds on the bushel.
My motto has ever been, keep the land clean
and sow no foul seed One year ago, last fall,
in seeding, took barrel of Stacked lime and
sowed it on my fallow, so that the ground was
quite white; then sOwed my seed and narrowed
it in. likewise sowed few barrels of ashes
in the same way, and when harvested it there
was quite a difference in the crop, and the ber-
ry was larger than the other where there was
no lime or ashes sowed. never sell my ashes
as some farmers do, but put them on my land
and always get well paid for my trouble, espe-
cially in my corn crop. Care should be taken
and not get them On too thick.
Cor. of Michigan Farmer.
Apractical farmer informs the Hartford Times
that in taking up fence that had been set four
teen years. he noticed that some of the posts
nearly sound while others had rotted