Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-09-12
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From tho American Farmer.
WHEAT soWINGa


During this month every possible exer'
ton must be made to complete the pre-
paration of all lands intended for wheat,
in order that its seeding may be effected
between the goth of this month and the
10th of the next, according to the KIND
Of wheat intended to be seeded /; the Med
iterranean wheat bearing earlier sowing
than most other varieties.
The ploughing should be from 6 to
inches in depth, according to the charac-
ter of the land; it should be executed
with great accuracy, care being taken to
leave no balks the furrow slices should
be laid fat, and, previous to being har-
rowed, the land should be rolled with a
heavy roller.
This operation should be first perform
ed furrow wise, and then crosswise the
burrows. Previous to being seeded the
land should be again rolled, as it is al
ways best to have smooth surface to
seed upon. If time and season admitted
of it, it would prove advantageous to give
the land borrowings at intervals of some
ten days apart with the view of destroy
ing weeds, the seeds of which may have
terminated in the meantime, as there are
but few grain crops that profit moHe by
the absence of weeds than does the wheat
crop. Besides, these repeated harrow
ings open the soil to the influence of tho
atmosphere, whereby the inorganic as
we'll as organic substances are encourage
ed into favorable conditions for the food
of the wheat plants when the seed comes
to be sown, and as q consequence, earlier
termination and more vigorous growth of
the plants are the results.
1t is an admitted fact among all observ-
ing farmers, that clover as preparatory
crop for wheat stands FIRST among all
others first, because it is cheaper than
peas, and secondly, because a crop Of
clover turned under will furnish nearly all
the several substances required to grow a
crop offwheat on an acre Of land, while
someiare in excess, largely, Us the follow
pg table will show.
4 table showing the organic substances
supplied by full crop Of clover buried
under, and those required by full crop
of wheat, each crop being the product Of
an acre Of land.
An acre Of CloDey supplies
Of Carb of Oxy. OF Hydro. of Nit.
l75O lbs 1896 lbs 1855 lbs 70 lbs
AH acre Of Wheat requires
Of Corb. of Oxy: of Hydro. OF Nit.
l457 lbs 1862 lbs III lbs 30 lbs
EEceSs in ClOUcr crop
263 lbs l34 lbs ii lbs 46 lbs
We have repeated the preceding table
to demonstrate how essential it is for
every wheat grower to SOW clover on his
wheat fields.
SELECTION OF SEED.-Great care should
be taken to procure good kinds of seed
wheat, and as much, to see that there are
no seeds of weeds, or of rye amongst it.
By using a suitable sieve, you may get
rid OF the weed seeds, but not so of the
rye
TINE OF SEED1Na.-This is one of those
mooted questions, which in all probability
will never be settled but as general
thing, we believe that early seeding sue
ceeds best in an average of years. The
Mediterranean, and what is called May
wheat, bear earlier sowing than others.
Without pretending to prescribe any par
icular day as the best, we would say that
all wheat growers should make their ar
rangements SO as to finish their seeding
by the list of October, and at all events
not to be later than the 10th of that
month. The Mediterranean wheat may be
put in any time during this month.
DEPTH OF COVERING THE SEED.-No
seed wheat should be covered more than
5 inches if the depth Of inches can be
arrived at, we should think that decidedly
the best, as we believe much more plants
would come up at that depth than almost
any other.
If the ground has been we'll and neatly
Ploughed, rolled, narrowed, cross harrow
ed and rolled before seeding by harrow
ing, cross>harrowing and rolling, proper
depth of covering may be attained.
The seed being narrowed and cross
narrowed in, then waterfurrows should
be carefully laid off, and these should be
rolled cross-wise the burrows.
QUANTITY OF SEED PER ACRE.-When
the seeding is by broadcast sowing. it is
our opinion that bushels of seed per
acre should be sown. If the seed be put
IN drilling machine, 5 pecks per acre will
be enough.
WATER FURRow have already
spoken of the formation of water burrows,
under the head of depth of covering the
seed; but we deem this part of the bust
ness so important to success, that we will
venture a few moro remarks frst pre-
missing, that if proper care were observed,
in deep and truthful ploughing, thorough
pulverization. carefully constructed wa
ter-furrows, and subsequent care through
winter and spring to remove all obstruc>
tlons from the burrows, that we should
hear but few complaints against winter
killing. The burrows should be so form
ed, and at such distances, as to prevent
the Judgement of the water upon any por-
ton of the field, as there is nothing more
detrimental to wheat plants, and to their
hcalthGul growth, than water lying on
them through the seasons of alternate
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