The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-10-04
T. We end the following II - exchange,
without credit. Its worthy Of perusal just Al
This season BY our farmeTs:
WHEAT CULTURE.

A. the time 10 not far distant when prepare
ton will be made for another crop OF wheat. II
may mot be- out Of place for US, az the conduc-
tors Of an agricultural journal, to advert briefly
TO the subject Of wheat culture. though we may
not BE- able TO offer much that will be new OF
interesting.
Notwithstanding the whest crop has claimed
IN important place in agriculture from the re-
lnotest antiquity, il cannot be denied that it 10
one OF great uncertainty in almost every part
Of the world, and especially in our own conn-
try and we are almost compelled to believe
that it is Becoming increasingly %. There 10
scarcely GRIP which we make an effort to
grow in the wrs', about the cultivation Of
which we know 80 little, and probably there is
no other the profits OF which the farmer
cannot count with greater certainty. while he -
putting his seed ia the ground The hy, the
rust, the weevil, and the winter, are all Ia BE-
taken ,ntp account and # by cnance his crops
escape all these enemies, he may get amply
rewarded for his labnrs; If not he may lose
the reward of oil his toll ~.
Having gr"wn up farmer, we were hatter-
ing ourselfthat we understood pretty well the |
habits ofessnwheal plant, aud the course Of tit |
lage which would ensure, Al least, partial |
crop, but we confess the crop jast harvested I
presented some anomalies not very easily ex-
planned, and which has left W considerably
more Of a "know>nc,hing" than ever before.
on dry land, well MANFRED, until the present
season, bat we must now. abandon our theory
here. We have always contended that wheat
was much more liable TO be winter killed on
low back ground, unless well drained, than on
other soil BIZ, here, again, We now seem to De
mistaken. Al least it was noticed in the past
spring that wheat in some fields, looked green
er and more vigorous on this kind OF so'l
where not even . fMrrow had been run with the
plow to take away the surpus water from the
surface, than on dryer lands in the same helds
A few years since, those who sowed Mrd'ter-
Ayanean wheat in many instances their entire
crops with the winter-kii, while other kinds =
were LITTLE injured. the past winter this Is re
maskably true. fAtfse
Amid the general wreck OF the farmers
hopes in this region, the past season, we noticed
one field Of wheat that deserves little notice u
Il vas sown aiming corn, or rather among the y
Rrass where the corn should have been and
the fnrmalities Of "putting il in" were system
atically gone through BY running between the
corn.rows with culliva,o', gung and re,ur a
ming as nearly in the same tack as possible 4
Al least one third of the ground remained
untouched-in fact, We should hardly suppose "a
the luxurient crop Of weeds and fox tail, which
covered il, ever knew that any thing unusual d,
ives going ON in the neighborhood The soil n
was poor, decidedly, having been in cultivation
some thirty years, without ha wing known in all
that time the benefit of coat OF manure. At th
the time Of seeding, the prospect Of crop Of ia
wheat was the common remark of those who
passed the Geld. But what was the result to
simply this, tina. there 10 bu, fe better crops at
cutting time. The character Of the soil r
eeavelly limeatone-and the variety Of wheat ee
Meditersanean-are all the causes which, 90 m
far - we can imagine, could produce 30 singu. be
lar q result ",
Il 10 our deliberate conclusion after having s.
given the subject much attention, that the H.. y,
sian 6y was the principal cause Why 90 much
Of the past crop was winter killed. The insect su
had % weakened she pl,nts in the fall, eating +,
and working in the joints and about the roots, r,
that the severe winter was more than they could
Withstand. Fields that looked well at the g.,
OF winter. though known 70 be II
full or 6y, we're found in the spring I" be near.
y OF completely ruined. while other fields id
promising much lees in the fall, escaped winter Ia.
NTH but little injury.
After having compared our notes ON the last an
ussps with eli our former experience in wheat fss
Doliure, the conclusions we have come 10 are
noarly % follows: Of
N First, TO proven, rust, select high, dry SOIL all
md COW only the earlies, varieties.
Second, To prevent the fly manure well, eta
pus The ground IN good order, and sow late, say A.
lhe first OF second week in October, and sow
those varieties which are known most effect on
ually 10 have escaped its ravages. "
Third. To gu ard agans, the winter kill, select
loose, gravtly sol, protected, if possible, on an
he north and west by hill and timber, and seed II
wjlh drill We are satisfied that drilled wheat Fl n
will better withstand hard Writer than that
,ow1 broadcast.
Fourth The kind OF soil best adapted in ito
natural state To the growth of wheat. is pnrus for
limestone, such ~ he second bottoms along our mr.
'seeks and rivers de
Fifh, That the only plan of ensnring crop
e wheat IL To manure we'll, aud put the ground
lnder high state Of cultivation.
ca