Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-08-19
For the Journal.
Wheat RaiSiMg-.-Vintcr Wheat.

For the Journal.
Wheat RaisiMg-.-Winter Wheat
Mr. EDlroR-I have just received cir
cular from the Secretary of the Iowa Farm
er's College, in regard to raising wheat, il
Iowa, both Winter and Spring. Soon afte
Mr.. Wilson was appointed Secretary of th'
Agricultural Bureau of our State, he ISSUED
large number of circulars to the farmers
calling on them to report to him their suo
cess in this branch of farming. lie obtained
reports from more than forty counties, point
ing out their mode of success, and the causes
of failures. Thus he has obtained mass oi
practical and raluable inform atien, which
be says will be contained in his annual re.
port to the Legislature next winter. This
is some of the first fruits of the Iowa Farm
er's College, and believe this single item
of his report is worth more to the farmers
of thi, State than the entire cost of this in
stitutian up to this time, namely, about
$4,000.
L wish you would find room in your paper
or the following extracts from Secretary
Wilson's circular, this being the time to
prepare for Winter wheat. SuEL FOSTER.
The following questions were submitted
to about l 900 farmers in this State during
the wear 1858, of whom we have replies
from about IT'S:
What is the best variety of Winter wheat
cultivated? -
What is the average yield per acre?
Is it successful crop generally?
What is the cost of cultivating an acre,
including seed !?
Cedw- Cultivated with success some years
siuce but not now except to limited extent
owing to exposure and killing in Spring
general impression that it would be sue
cessful by dri ling. 20 TO 25 bushels to the
acre, and White Blue stem. $40 to l ready
for market.
Jffsrson.-Old red chaff bearded, large
white 20 to IS buy; white beardless name
unknown, GO buy; white smooth name un-
known, go to % bu). The correspo dent
who cutivates the latter says: SIN lo years,
missed two times, two crops poor, all the
others good'-cause of failure, "frost kill
ed" Another says, "the surest chance for
crop is upon prririe sod, which is not sub
ject to be upheaved by FROST" Another says
"a light soil and too late sowing are not
the only reasans for failure on the contra
ry, our soil is now better adapted to growing
Winter wheat than when it was new, it being
heavier. Wheat sown in August and cary
in September on fallow well rolled, may be
relied upon for sure CROP" All the other
CORE, pondents say it "Wlnter kills" Aver
age cost per acre "a.
johnson. -Genesee White go bu.) Blue
stem OF Rock Us bu). The latter says: at
is generally success I'll if properly cultivated; !;
it should be sown Sept. lst, Il bushels to
the acre, we'll narrowed and thoroughly
roled' Another says, the failures are Sin
consequence of snrface water, as the ground
is frozen all Winter; all the water that
falls from the 1st of December to the mid
die of March, remains in the surface" Av,
erage cost per acre $5
Les Smooth white Blue stem go to 25
bu.); Genne~ee Velvet Us bu }; Medi' ezra
mean (l5 to 20 bu.). Average cost per acre
SIS. One says frequent failures, which sis
generally owing to improper farming be
cause some fields promise tiue crops whilst
on the other side of the fence, ION an.
other mans farm), it will be very poor al.
most every season for the last 20 years"
Another says, "If properly cultivated | be-
lieve it is as successful here as in any OF the
Western States in this latitude" Another
-s'would probably succ ed better if put in
carefully with a one-horse plow.'
Muscatine Il Blue stem (25 buy; but little
cultivated, because not successful, owing to
"dry winds and winter killing" Average
cost per acre $3.50.
SPRING WHEAT The following is the re-
port received from Lee county concerning
the cultivation Of Spring wheat
Highest number of bu he's raised per acre
361 soil rich, l8 to "a inches deep, and
somewhat sandy, second bottom, high and
dry prairie, wit. a rich porous clay sub soil;
the year previous crop of Spring wheat,
having been an old meadow be.ore that in
Fall Of '55 the timothy sod was turned up by
the Michigan subs Ill p'ow 0 inches deep
-sowed to Spring wheat in '56-in August
'56 re broke deep and sown to Fall wheat,
but being wihter-killed was re-sown to
Spring wheat and narrowed in; quantity ef
seed sown to the acre IL bushel on 10Th
March; about half the land re-broke, the
balance sown on the killed Winter wheat
and all narrowed in quite wet the turning
under of stubb'e and green crop in August;
seed sown on 18th March and harvested 9th
August variety sown Wild Goose /; cost of
crop S1285-thus, rent 50, sub-soil break
ing 81, seed ST. so, sowing and narrowing
75c, reaping and shocking $l.50, stacking
SOC, threshing 8 CO. Remarks 1t will be
seen that the cost of sub-soil blowing in
the Fall of 1855 is charged to cost of rails
ing spring wheat crop in 1857, as the fine
yield was attributable principally to that
blowing, and the Spring wheat crop of '56
was failure, as it always will be on sub
soil powed land when month or more Of
summer weather does not intervene between
tie plowing and the sowing This is a
very important report, as it comes from one
of the best and most reliable farmers in the
State-SEo'Y.
p. S. Who has got the Report of the State
Agricultural Society for 1857? Three thou
sand copies were printed, when there should
have been 10000 200 were bound, when
they all should have been! believe there is
no provision to distribute these Reports to the
people! Will our Representatives see to this
next Winter, and see that Secretary Wilson's
Reports are also distributed? S. F.
TIE New STEAM PLow.-The steam plow
of Mr.. Fawkes, of ChIistiana, Pa, consists
of eight very large and deep plow shares,
attached to the engine by chains, and arran-
ged 20 as to be raised or lowered in a feT
seconds, as the person guiding the machine
NAV wish. 1t is of thirty horsepower, and
weighs seven tons, being the largest size
that can we'll be constructed for any practi-
| ti.ai purpOse. 1t can plOw up hill or down
with great facility. The lurrows are very
deep and regular, so much SO as TO excite
the admiration of several veteran farmers,
who were present, and rubbed their hands
as they looked at the machine making such