Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-07-24
For the wheeling 1ntenlgcneer.l
,ima ~ snwinc Wheat.

proper to call the attention Oh the faEhie's VI
this region again to the great Importance oil the
subjects embraced therein: viz the best known
practicable remedies to prevent the ravages oil
the wheat nudge Tor weeviD and the formation
Of rust on the growing crops of wheat
In addition to the necessity of sowing wheat
rs early in September as possible, it is highly
important not to sow two successive crops OF
wheat upon the same field: SOW barley Or oats
after corn crops and wheat after barley or oats
This rotation will lessen the injury to be sustain
ed by the "midge' and will increase the guam
tity and improve the quality of the grains sown.
The stubblc fields will probably be more foul
than usual this season, the rains forcing forward
a heavy growth of weeds, it will consequently
be advisable to turn stock upon the subble fields
intended to be seeded in wheat, so soon as the
crop now being harvested is hauled in.
The season of 1855 being very wet, the writer
had to use harrows on his stubble fields before
blowing for the wheat srop, MS the weeds grew
SO rapidly the stock could not master them.
1t is furthermore advisable to procure such
varieties of wheat as will ripen early. 1t is also
said that bearded grains are less likely to be
injured imam ShS SuASOSA YES $1,000
The writer cultivated the blue STEM a smooth
wheat, extensively for several years and was
we'll pleased with it, after the appearance of the
nudge in this vicinity.
A Let every Farmer then prepare his lands in
time and sow his wheat early, at least this fall
and try to strive out the pest from this region
of country-and give US once more fair aver
age crop of good sound wheat, which we will
mot have by late sowing (until the habit OF the
grain changes,) if ever. c.
Having just throshed out my crop of wheat
for the past year, from the remarkable differ
encc in the yield of the two fields sown, am
induced to report the notes of the crop to your
readers.
During the month of August, 1858, had
thirty acres of land plOughed, twenty acres be.
ing in one field, seventeen of wheat and three of
oat stubble, in the other field an additional ten
acres of oat stubble.
The land was ploughed at an average depth
of about eight inches, the quality of soil very
similar in both fields. Some manure from sheds
being spread upon the weeker portions OF the
land, a. IL my usual custom before sSedl''s to
grass.
4 In the second week of September following,
there was Sown upon the twenty acre field, and
about five of the ten acre field, two bushels of
| Blue stem wheat to the acre, the remainder OF
the ten acre lot not being sown until the fourth
week. The grain i'll each instance narrowed in
with two horse diamond shaped harrows, the
harrows running nearly in the direction of the
ploughs. Two lap harrows we're used, the sec
Ond following and tapping about one half on the
| first, equal to narrowing twice with single
harrow.
| Now mark the result The wheat sown pre-
vious to the middle of the month, (nlthough the
e favorable
in each instance during the winter hau tnuGh
the most promising appearance, was scarcely
injured if at all by the frost, and III the spring
covered the ground WE'LL whilst that sown III
the first week Of the month, on the remainder
of the ten acre lot, was much injured by the
frost and promised poorly for crop in the
spring.
The wheat nudge, or yellow weevil, made its
appearance in my neighborhOod just as the grain
OF the wheat first sown b, gan to harden, conse-
uuently it did but little damage to it'll should
say none at all on that early sown, as the grain
weighed, both lots mixed together in threshing,
above sixty pounds to the bushel.
But the late sown was slightly injured by the
rust, and very much by the weevil or nudge,
and the insect was screened out in such guam
titles as ty surprise every person present, the
wheat much shriveled.
The product of the twenty acres was just four
| hundred and twenty bushels measured from the
machine, yielding twenty-one bushels to the
acre the quality good, whilst the ten acres ylelu
ed but one hundred and ten bushels, (notwlth-
standing the early sown escaped the wceyll and
was EairA and the quality inferior, grain shrunk-
! ON and light making the entire crop i've hun
drcd and thirty bushels; four hundred bushels
of mixed lot gained at the mill where sold four
bushels and twenty pounds
The wheat of the preceding year on the
twenty acre lot, yielded on seventeen acres in
wheat. about eighteen bushels to the acres fol-
lowing corn and the oats fair on the three acres
remaining, the ten acres bore good crop OF oats.
! Now to what are we to attribute the remark
able difference in the products oil the two lots!
No doubt to the weeyil, and in the one instance
injuring the grain, and the absence OF both IN
the other.
But some may doubt whether the time of SOW
ling had so much influence over the yield in the
cases mentioned. ], however, am confident that
it had.
say second week in September, 1t would have
Welded about twenty bushels to the acre, ma
king crop in the aggregate of 600 bushels, or
had sOwn it all in the fourth week | presume
the yield would have been about 300 bushels.
The early sown wheat ripened, and was cut
from eight to ten days earlier than the last
suwn.
It might however, be supposed that this crop
OF wheat was mere experiment as to the time
of seeding; such, however is not the fact. My
wheat ON all stubble land for the last five years
has been sown in the first and second weeks OF
September, and the average of the crops so
sown has been from seventeen to twenty bushels
The great injury the wheat sustained for sew
eral years from rust, induced me to sow so
early MS the time mentioned having previously
deferred sowing until the latter part Of the month
i or some times as late as October.
In urging further this subject upon the atten-
ton Of the farmers of this region, it will be
proper to state that the agricultural papers in
Ohio and New York are advising their readers
to avoid the weevil (Which almost ruined the
last crop of wheat in Ohio and on the fine wheat
lands of the Genessee) to sow their grain early
in September, as to the surest preventive against
4 its ravnges.
II q Al, -, hoe ,,ssssl tho milky state Far