Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-06-15
farmers Department,
From the Southern Agricul,uIist.
Wheat Culture.

Wheat Culture.
This department of agriculture is becon
ing daily one of greater Importance to til
Southern farmer 1t is a fact now indispu
table, that Southern flour is more nutrition
than Northern, and many people are begin
ming to find out that wheat can be grown
even in cotton growing country, with pre-
fit. The vast. facilities which are every
where being opened nowadays, by Raj
Roads, will enable the farmer OF the interio
to find a market in the cities which now de
pend upon the North, while the increase 0
manufactures, which always follow in TIT
wake Of Improvement, will create new de
mauds, always increasing. What, then, il
to hinder US from becoming a great bread
producing people-particrlarly those who
live a little above the cotton belt. We have
plenty of land well adapted to the purpose
--our cotton seed furnishes the best ant
cheapest manure that can be had for wheat
and our climate is admirably adapted to it
All that is necessary is to take little more
pains in looking up the varieties adapted
best to soil and climate, to plow deeper, pre-
pare more thoroughly, put down the cotton
seed regularly, sow plenty of good seed,
plow it in well, and brush or roll il over
nicely.
Just here we are brought to halt by the
reflection that, although all men may agree
to the correctness of the above remarks, still
the great bone Of contention is trhcn to sow,
and uhcthcr the time of sowing has any thing
to do in removing the two greatest obstacles
in the production OF wheat-the HesSian fly
and late trosts.
In looking over the Patent Office Reports
en- agriculture for 1923, we were struck
with the remarkable coincidence OF opinion,
that late sowing was the sureSt preventive
of the Hessau fly. But two contra opinions
were offered, one for early sowing, and the
other earl y sowing after cotton. The clean
culture of cotton doubtless has much to do
with the exemption of cotton land from the
fly. In grassy and weedy lands they most
do congregate, increase and multiply. 1t is
evident that there must be some good reason
for this agreement among farmers over the
whole Union, that late sowing is the safest
course-what is it? In climate like ours,
it may be presumed that an insect which is
hatched out in from four to fifteen days, can
propagate its species to an alarming extent
during September, October and November
AS we rarely have a freeze hard enough to
kill the eggs or drive off these pests before
December, all wheat coming up during the
warm days Of September, October and No.
vember, certainly stands 4 fair chance to be
well stocked with the Hessian, which is in
full feather during that period. Thorough
of the soil, good manuring and
late sowing, (alter freezes,) would seem to
be the safest course. At all events, you
stand chance to escape the fail brood, and
if your wheat is well advanced in the spring
Matching cannot do you much damage
There is no chance to dodge his vernal visits.
And here we are bcset by the other diff
Guilty: if your wheat be strong and luxuriant
in the spring, that big frost about Easter
which our old Dutch farmers have kept rs
sort of buggerboo for us since oar earliest
recollection, (snd by the way, he's no, to be
laughed at may nip our hopes. Then what
must he done to meet this difficulty! We
know but one remedy: close pasturage with
'''s"i S'oSh-SdSel', S"L'eS dIu COitN. we
10 moi mean downright grazing ones wheat
nto the earth, but keeping just stock enough
IN it (in dry we0.hcr only,) as will keep il
nicely clipped over until the lst March.
Ii has been argued by some that early
owing, with close paSturage, would save
he crop from the fly aud frost both, bat it
as not been our experience.
But there is another drawback we had t.
lmost forgotten, simply, we suppose, be- :
ause we had found a remedy-ruSt. This i,
an easily be avoided by sowing early varie. u !,
es Of wheat. Late wheat will not do" c
Gems to be a common opinion and early Il
heat can be kept back out of frost's way Il
y proper grazng-ihere is no doubt of that. g
We know fields that were grazcd Till lSl Il !,
Iarch, that now bid fair to average ten .,
uShcls per acre, while others in sight which y, W
ad much the better wheat before the frost, rI
i'll not average five, under the most f;vora. nc
e circumstances. 1t not an isolated case. a.,
We would like to have this question dis eI E
lssed in the Southern AgricultmiN, and ''
ave the opinions of we'll known successful ac
I'd unsuccesstully wheat growers upon the ar
bject. little discussion could do no
'rm, and some grains of wheat might be -
1t out of the pile of chati' at all events.
fprrr,,-u