Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-09-17
A gric all.

and especially to the largo body |
of our readers, that we are not likely to make |
it too frequently the subject of remark.
1t is q reproach to our agriculture that while
the very frequent experience of some Of our
best farmers gives crops of thirty and forty
bushels per acre, the usual product Of our
lands, without large direct outlay for 4ertll-
GERS, are hardly more than fourth ot-these
quantities. The ready excuse is tho differ
ence in the quality Of the land. AS general
thing this is only an excuse. The very lands
now so productive, have been, within the
memory of many now living, as poor as the
poorest; and of those now so poor, who will
undertake TO say that their n ltural corAthttien
makes them incapable of the highest deggee of
improvement There are no doubt, cases of
this sort, but they are exceptional; generally
there is nothing wanting but the proper use of
the right means. When a land-holder finds
that on all his possessions, he has not so much
as garden or favorite lot which pays the
costs of the manure put upon it, and that weeds
do not grow near his kitchen door or his pig
pen, he may give up his land in despair.
Otherwise let him not excuse his indolcnce
and want of spirit, by charging the fault upon
his land, without giving it at least very fair
trial. Nor is it fatteriDg TO our vanity, that
even our best farmers, on the best lands, come
SO far short, generally, of what their grounds
are capable of producing. Well attested
cases Of fifty bushels to the acre, we have had
OF a small scale, and frequent cases OF forty TO
the acre, on considerable fields. They show
! sufficiently what can be done. But such crops
are so very rare, that it is plain enough the
| most successful cultivators cannot command
them. In England, on large estates, all aver
age of forty to forty -eight bushels is not unu-
sual, according to- Mr.. Colman, and he mentions
one well proved case OF niaety bushels to the
acre. But there as well as here, how very far
| below the lowest of these numbers, arc the
average crops of many of the best farnSEsA=
The truth is, that the great body of cultivatOrs
do not work up to the knowledge at their COM
nand and the most intelligent do not under
stand the subject Of wheat growing, as so I'M
portant matter should be understood. We
| plead the numerous enemies with which the
wheat crop is plagued, as the cause of so much
uncertainty and failure, and with some reason.
Sometimes, as during the present season, no
known remedy has been Of any avail against
their ravages in certain localities. But taking
the average OF the ten years past, we think it
will be admitted that the growing OF wheat has
not been Improbable, and that the certaiaty
as well as the quantity OF the crop has been in
almost oXact proportion 10 the skill OF the cul-
tiyatoE in the Improvement of his lands, and
the proper manuring and cultivation Of his
crop.
1t is mere folly 10 undertake to cultivate
wheat upon poor land insuiIlcently manured.--
Land not capable ofyielding fifteen bushels to
the acre, should be MANFRED, or lot alone Tor
some improving crop.
+ Wheat requires clean culture; it cannot he
grown to advantage on any grass sod, except
well managed clover-inlluw. A we'll turned
clover sod, that has been moved or iudiciously
Z grazed, is the best prenaration for areT,. -
. | pea-fallow Is thought by MANY equal, by sOlnt
v superior, to the clover. Its value for tn,
q wheat crop will depend, in measure, upol
i. tho care wi whicn it is managed; so lar5e
Il mass OF vegetable matter put in with SHALLOW
ID ploughing, may keep the surface soil so porou
l. as to do the wheat serious harm. Ifn0t YER
thoroughly turned under with deep furrow
i it is better perhaps to do as is done by som
/, experienced cultivators in Virginia, and 81
K put in the wheat and the vines, as TO leave
large portion OF the latter uncovered on tn
= surface. in either case, the land should b
d heavily rolled. A firm seed bed seems essen
% tial to the well-being Of wheat. Deep plowin
:, is not TO be objected to, but it is importaI
!, that the earth be well compacted with the ro
If ler, when the seed il sown.
81 And grass sod, other than clover in its sc
Of cohd year, shelId be planted in some clean,
1t ing crop, which will give the sod time to
N thoroughly rotted. The best of our cultivate
~ crops Tor this purpose is, without question, to
=, baccO. The neat, careful cultivation, tn
- thorough shading, and destruction Of all gus
d and weeds, leave the ground in a state ofpel
Of feet preparation for the wheat. The shallow
le esa working of the surface whic. is sufficient I
> cover tho seed, is all the labor requiged 4.
y putting In the crOpi or drill alone Will 10 !
es without any other preparation.
- Tue most common cleansing crop il corr
n but it is by far inferior TO tobacco. II rio
% enough for wheat, the crab grass grows so luS
lLsiantly after tho working ceases, that it
it iaE TO put the wheat in properly. If not rc
3 enough TO produce gra,s, it is not fit for wheo
A Treat deal Of the wheat crop, however,
70 sown upon the corn-feld, and it is upon thes
n lie ids that the purchased fertilizers are chief
n used. Wheat growers Of very reliable iudg,
n ment, have adopted the practice of putting
lp tho seed upon corn land with the drill, with 1
a. previous preparation By ploughing. Othe
! 'itr the surface with harrOws, only enough
d, procure covering for the grain. They ayo
Nv turning under the grass, and leave d firm BIZ
NO. for the crop to grow upon.
in The practice o! drilling in wheat with a m
D, chine, Is one of the most important adyanc
Ill which has been made in wheat culture. I'll
I'd, saving nt seed, the increase of the crop, Il
nj security against winter-lilling, and gre
Gu economy in the application of fertilizers, a
~ advantages so important and so well ascertai
AZ ed, that no one who sows twenty-five acT,
should fail to use the drill.
The Introduction Of the drill-culturc will
followed, we do not doubt, by the practice
spring cultivation, with an implement to- S
% the intervals between the rows OF wheat Il
. use of The roller is Of great importance in I
rs spring, to close the seams lett open by tEie
iNl
ind 'neIr pcu' but inc SURFING OF the lhterme'
Ia; ate spaces to the depth OF u fewinches, in su
les, manner as not to disturb the plants, VOL
hes admit the influence of the rains and atmt
l'er phere, with undoubted advantage to the cly
old Az in tbe timo of seodinn M milo is -,
i H.. tainy, to SOW early. pherU IS great advanta
aIs in having the seeds soon enough in the groul
ava TO get the plants well rooted by winter.
srn may be well borne in mind, however Il
'me while the enemies OF this crop generally sec
this to have taken counsel together for its destru
en- tion, the fly especially has, for several scasoi
un' been accommodating upon us, and may be
HGS course expected again in force. II is desiral
MID for thi reason, to postpone the seeding
aitera DOut the 9th Of October. Earlier sec
ave ing is less essential, with advantages we II
ply have than it was some years ago; because, l
20 the drill is almost an insurance against wint
i it killing; and I'd, the use OF guano is almost
me insurance against rust. We would 10
ehs chances against rust and frost, with drill a
',ne only fifty pounds of guano, sowing by the NJ
al die of October, rather than to SOW twenty dt
mes earlier without them. As to fly, the la
. ii seems to be, without question, the safer tin
Gro The impression that the later sown wheat is
ns subject to the attack of fly in the spring as ii
Tty sown early, has not been sustained by our
- servation Of the past crop. The field viii
~, ,hn had most fly in tho fall, has been that viii
III suffered most from its ravages in the spring
md This, we say, is our observation we shoulu
Il glad to learn how far II comedies with that
The others.
the We would not, therefore, in this latitut
es, sow before the 9th of October, but would ha
%a everything in readiness, to get through ct I
an earliest possible time alter this. The iallt