The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-12-26


ricnliural Gazette says tina, besides keeping for
'y-eigh COWS. iha, part e the farm cultivated
in wheat Yields /. eighty five bushels per scotch
acre" In The same leading article 10 editor
makes the following pregnant suggestion: "Fer-
iiliiy IL, in fact, no mere funcnni or quality Of
soil; il is capable Of q,ta,atticc estimation, and
is directly due TO thr quannly Of lerlillzing mat
ter present.
Every lover OF the soil should sow and plant
with a clear appreciation Of the things, and their
Whereabouts, which are 10 furm his expected
crop. II The land needs mamie, cease mol to
obtain due quantity of this raw material for
making grain. Two hundred pounds Of Peruvian
guano is fair allowance per acre in this coun-
try although thee and four hundred arc not
unfrequenily used in England.
l. is important 10 cover seed whea, al uni
form depth. which canno, be done with COM
mon harrow so well as with wheat drill, or the
rlow. In the Genesee country they use wheel
ed cniivalors and gang,plows for puliingin seed.
For twenty wears, the use Of small plows for
putting IN wheat, in place of liarrows, has been
steadily on tlleincrease. The ground is well hor>
rowed before the seed is sown. Some sow on the
iurows, after plowing; and by drawing The liar-
row across the inrr0ws, the seed is mainly tlnown
and covered between them, and comes up in
rows like drilled wheat. To ensble The roots
0f young plants 10 take finner hold Of earth,
and prevent their drying in dry weather, il Is
wise to roll the ground Immediately after seed
ing Ii is apt 10 be too light and open, if not
compressed by the roller.
Many valuable experiments have been tried
10 ascertain the right quantity oil seed to pu, up
or an acre. Planted in drills and hand hoed
like corn, six TO eight pnts of wheat To The acre
have given the best returns. A gallon of good
seed. properly distributed. will make plants
enough for an acre; but as there is difficulty in
this, from 4 10 5 gallons are the safer quaint.
iy TO put on an acre. Mr.. Mech. England,
uses bushel, or eight gallons another cul.iva-
tor claims lha, his crop will exceed all others
when harvested. with only six pins Of seed per
acre. Hilheru, English farmers have been ia
mrus for lhe vast amount Of seed sown upon a
given area some applying five and SIX bushels
Of oats and bailey, and three or four ol wheat
per acre. During the reaction, IL is natural that
many should 90 into the opposite extreme.
To present smut, all seed should be slpeppd
three or four hours, and no, longer, in brine
made OF common salt, or IN copperas water. or
i solution Of blue stone. (sulphale Of copperas.)
BY keeping seed TOO long in these powerful salts,
we have seen the germ Of wheat killed, TO the
serious injury Of the ciop.
We think qni,e as gond results are attained
by washing seed in a solution of common salt.
as in blue yiiriol or green vilriol. Either will
destroy The living principle in all parasitic plants
that iniesl the seed Of cereals.
In selecting seed. the writer may remark that
lie has grown over fifty varieties nf wheat, and
regards the .'inproved white flint" as The best all
things considered. That advertised in this and
former numbers OF the Culivslor by p. III.
Green, oi la Grange. Ga. appears. from sam.
pie sent 10 us. 10 be an arclm,ied variety OF the
white flint, aud doubtless deserves the commen,
daion which il has received AT several Agricnl-
tural Fairs. Ii is well 10 change ones seed oc-
casionally ]. e., procure wheat grown on dif-
feren,. and il possible, better soil. All things
having life are endowed with certain c0nsiiln-
lionai powers. which are subject 10 deterioration,
and my be Mesk or strong, healthy or unhealthy
according 10 The circumstances with which they
are surrounded. Where one has both The best
Of wheat land and The best Of seed, he can gain
nothing by changing either. Few, however, are
so well oil and all should try 10 improve their
system Of ,illspe aud husbandry. pea crop
poughcd in. will generally aid in giving hotter
crop Of wheat. Wood ashes spread over the
ground in any quantity from twenty-five 10 one
hundred bushels per acre, are valuable 10 sireng,
Then the soil. l..