The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-09-24
Wheat Culture

)f the farmers Will Dc pfaceu upon IL as D L
means of relieving them from debt t
While hoping for the best it is well to s
examine whether their anticipations are
we'll founded.
The wheat crop of the West was her
aided, shortly after the June FROST as
heavy, but now that the grain is thrashed,
the yield is found to be small.
The Senior editor of the Prairie Farm
er, after travelling somewhat extensively
through the wheat growing sections of
Illinois, says, from the information gain
ed by observation and inquiry among
farmers, he is satisfied the ayaage yield
per acre of winter wheat is not more than |
five to six bushels. The northern portion |
of Illinois grew but little else than spring
wheat this year. Scarcely any winter
wheat has been offered in market in that
portion. The yield of spring wheat may
be Judged from the tone of letter in the
N. Y. Tribune from Peoria county, Ill. 1t
says:
aAfter the people of Illinois are all fed
for the next twelve months, sutficiency
of seed saved, and the hired help paid,
there will not be left one bushel of wheat
in this State, to pay merchants of New
York old debts, or to buy imported gew-
gaws for future use. If there is no more
n"';ty in other States to buy and pay for
a. ;,,, orts of the last nine months than
wi sx;s,. II TN part of the West, then, most
ssanrsdIv ~ Ana. cial ruin will overtake
\ msnv Of YOUR imp., .,rting merchants, A
crops within circuit OF ff, mi,es ;.h a,Uuf o"nS
this place, enables me to say v ~" II, H. No,
dence that the average of wheat Va, u nGs "
exceed eight bushels to the acre. This 70
not half the yield anticipated. The price,
As to so cents, does not pay the farmer one
per cent. on the outlay.
The Tribune adds, "The statement as
to the yield is confirmed by dozen other
letters" and that "every account from the
West agrees in the statement that although
the straw is heavy, the yield of grain is
unusually light"
!. Others, who have travelled through Iowa
and Illinois, report the spring wheat crop
as light, the best yield not being more than
twelve bushels to the acre. The farmers
of Kansas, have soil similar to that Of
Illinois, which is light, and by the action
of the sudden changes of the temperature
in winter heayes and throws out the roots
of wheat which freezes and often the
whole crop is lost. If the winter is favor
able, there is still danger of failure from
rust, or an overgrowth of straw.
The crop this year has not probably
" averaged more than thirteen bushels tc
the acre in the northern portions of Kan.
. sas. Some farmers fnd on threshing tha
the straw is heavy and the yield of grair
light. Kansas farmers cannot safely risi
too much on the chances o. the whea
,. crop, as a means of paying their debts
l. unless they can cultivate it at fair profit
IS Pork raising has furnished Illinois farmer
!, !, a safer crop than wheat culture. 1t vii
}. necessarily becomes staple business here
is Can wheat growing be made prohtabl
'r in Kansas? This is point which farm
. ers must determine for themselves, b,
IS : calculation and experiment. Perhaps tn
following article from the Prairie Fdrme
to on the cost of wheat will aid them:
CosT OF WHEAT.-We have the fol
- lowing from Mr.. Geo. Pettys. He says
y, :, II saw statement in your paper that nc
III one farmer in ten knew the cost of graf
II II per bushel, and therefore could not te
u; how much they must sell for in order
~ ~ make living profit. will give you wins
10 it cost me to raise wheat, and think a
:i may figure on the same rule if they do
~ days work in day 1t will vary, (
in course, in proportion to the bushels grow
:. " per acre.
" " In order to come to plain plan, "
D" must include as much ground in our est
mate as can be cut in one day with
en- reaper, say
en- Fifteen acres. valued at s25per acre; inter-
est 10 per cent, 81
ey Flowing, 81 per acre Is
= Seed, * bushels perscro. at 81 per bushsl. .
IT. Sowing. one day.
Narrowing, three days, S.
Reaping, at IS cents per acre, ii
?" Seven hands to bind and shockat$ 81 IS per
day, board included,
nd Stacking,
KNa - N
:, Cleaning gs and nd drawing to market, .
N sl4o
in Here we have fraction over 62 cen
per bushel. These figures cover boar
III wear and interest on tools. consider Il
to straw worth as much to feed as would pa
us to draw the manure back on the land
ms keep it in good heart. That is the mo
paying part if well attended to. Nov
u" farmers, you must be your own judges
o. to how much over 62 cents per bushel yo
ad must sell wheat, in order to pay debts.
to will depend on the size of the debt, an
H. how much per cent. you are paying on
"e As am asked every day Would you Sc
ng your wheat at present pricesP l will Civ
in nv opinion. | have made up my min
nm there is not more than two-thirds as muc
wheat as was thought there would be-
Every man hereabouts is disappointed
Do and we have letters from different poin
or to the same effect When our grain buy
ers recover from the bite they got befol
IN harvest, and find how light the crop j
- grain will bring better price. 1t wi
o. not pay us to sell at so cents per bushe
IT. Better keep it two years and get 81, tha
ng grow two crops at 80 cents. Those th'
"a can hold on until it pays cost and prof
- should do so. Wheat is of good qualit
G and worth holding. If growing whes
'g does not pay, SOW less; grow pigs and corr
seed down, or grow fax for the seed"
Iv We may say in reference to the foregc
K ing, that it does not seem to be the resul
~ of a systematic account with fifteen acre
~ of land in wheat. Nothing is said Of th
!. cost of composing the manure, or pre-
" pairing it for the soil. II the straw