Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-12-21
Wheat Growing.

MR. EDITOR In your article on wheat, |
in the Farmer of the 9th inst, you make
the assertion that our northern New Eng
land States might easily raise wheat enough
for home consumption" Now this is, if true,
a very important fact Thousands of cit
liens of Vermont, who have been paying from
ten to twelve dollars barrel for flour the
past year, with prospect of the same state
of things for the next, have just now a
realizing sense Of the runous policy OF de-
pending upon the soil of different states for
so important an article of food as wheat
nour.-I believe that we Nermonters can raise
our own wheat, and suppose that when the
farmers generally become convinced of that
fact, we shall do it. The coming winter will
be good time to compare notes and :" talk
over the matter, ard hope, Mr.. Editor, that
you will keep the subject before the
people"
AS facts are worth more than theories, !
will give you the following, which, although
not one OF the big stories that agricultural
papers are accused of publishing, may he in
tcresting as tending to show that wheat can
bo raised here on our old farms.
The school district in which live com
prises eleven farms and the amount of wheat
raised in the district this year will exceed
six hundred and fifty bushels. One of my
neghbors, Mr.. Elisha Smith, sowed about
nine acres and harvested one hundred and
eighty-six bushels Of very fine wheat, and !
think that is about the average yield per
acre through the district
The district next west of this is a small
one, comprising, think, only eight com
mon one hundred-acre farms, and in that
district they have raised four hundred and
fifty bushels this year
have no means of knowing at present.
whether these two districts are above or be
low the average production of the town, but
know no reason why they should be ubous
| think we have sixteen school districts, and
several large fractions belonging to districts
in adjoining towns, making II districts,
equal at least in territory to the two named,
and taking the production Of those two as an
average, we have nine thousand three hun
drcd and fifty bushels for the town.-We had
a population in 1850 of l,5l3, and if my
g ciphering y is correct VIC have this year
over six bushels of wheat each, for every
" man, woman and child " in town
CROSBY MILLER.
Pomfret, VT, Nov. 10, 1855.
The people of Vermont are very much
like the rest of the world in their love of
bread and-buttcr, but they have, within the
last fifty years, almost lost the art o. raising
their own Wheat.
Merchants are now trading in Rutland,
who once bought large quantities of Wheat
in Rutland, Windsor, and Orange Counties
and toted it in Wagons to Troy to find a
market. Not many years since, Vermont
raised Wheat and to spare. Now,-hUw
| different Not less than Si1 hundred hou-
sand dollars are annually paid by Vermont
people to the wheat growers Of the West for
! Flour This is an enormous tax, exceeding
! the entire cost of our Common Schools, and
the cost of the legislative, Executive, and
Judicial departments of our State Govern
ment There are enough empty -four barrels
in this State to store nearly the whole annual
crop of potatoes, apples and grain
Vermont has not waxed old like garment.
Her soil, so productive of wheat once, and SO
productive of other grain now, has not failed.
But it has been cheated. The farmers have
continually drawn upon the bank of Earth,
and made no deposits. The aRahs (such as
lime and ashes) have become exhausted, and
the inevitable result is, the grain does not
perfect itself, and the straw is feeble and
breaks down before the time of harvest. Pot
and Pearl Ashes have been sent from the
State in immense quantities. Farmers have
sold their ash heaps at l2d cents bushcl.-
Around the asheries have accumulated grea,
piles of leached ashes. The sOH IS erhausteo
Of ITS dLkaii, and Nature says you have
robbed me, and you shall go begging for youl
bread and butter
But, many farmers will say, :" we can raIs,
oats enough on one acre to buy the wheat W,
can raise on two acres" That may be so, a
you now do things. Take your slate anc
pencil, and figure up the exact cost of an.
horse, OK, or other animal, you raise for th
market and see if you do not find balanc
against you. But, in the end somehow, yol
make money by raising these animals. Tn
way to make money by farming is to Sare II
Produce all you can and buy nothing whic
you can raise. All the Wheat you raise is S
much money saved You will raise jus
as many oats as you would if no wheat wa
, | sowu.
The earth won't be cheated 1t will hay
' fair play Give and it will he given. Ric
, Vermont soil, supplied with ashes and lime
, and good seed will produce WI heat
/, The Weavil That is not so easily mar
aged, Perhaps if one field is sown as earl
as possible in the spring, and another not az
Joining, is sown later, one. if not both, wi
, entirely escape the insect
At any rate, treat the soil we'll, and try
r raise Wheat, as you love to eat brad an
y butter, and love to save your money .-Ru
land Herald.