The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1861-07-10
From the Southern Field and Preside.
WHEAT CULTURE IN THE SOUTH

WHEAT CULTURE IN THE SOUTH.
The crop Of wheat the present year in the
South is so large and acceptable, that much
more than the usual breadth Of land will be
seeded with this grain in the coming autumn
and December. Where the soil is rich
enough to bring good wheat, il can be grown
little cheaper per bushel than corn |; for the
ground may be prepared for sowing wheat
as easily as for planting corn. while the
growing crop receives no plowing. hoing,
nor I" chopping out as is practiced, and Of
ten erpensiyely. in corn-culture. Where
one has good drilling machine for planting
seed wheat. reaper driven by horse power
10 harvest the grain. and a thrashing machine
to get il out, the business Of raising wheat is
alike simple. easy and profitable. IL is a
branch Of agriculture that will rapidly e.
tend in the Cotton States as we learn 10 en-
rich our farms BY having hundreds Of acres
in clover, mesquit, orchard grass. herds
grass, timothy. winter oat grass, winter rye
grass. and Kentucky blue grass. Wheat IL
self has much greater powers Of vitality and
Of selt-multiplication than is generally sup
posed. Loudon. in his Encyclopedia Of Ag-
riculiure. page SIS. cites from the Philossph-
ical Transaction Of the last century the fol-
lowing instructive experiment:
"0n the I'd Of June. 1866, Miller sowed
some grains Of the common red wheat and
on the Sth Of August. single plant vas tax
en- MP and separsted into eighteen parts, and
each part planted separately. These plants
having pushed out several side.shoots, BY
about the middle Of September, some Of them
we're taken up and divided. and the rest Of
them between that time and the middle oi
October. This second division produced
sixty seven plants. These plants remained
through the winter. and another division Of
them made about the middle Of March. and
18th Of April produced 500 plants. They
we're then divided no further, but permitted
to remain. The plants were generally strong
er than any Of the wheat in the fields. some d
them produced upwards Of 100 ears from I
single root. Many Of the ears measured
seven inches in length. and contained be.
tween sixty and seventy grains, The whole
number Of ears produced, BY the process a.
, boye mentioned. was twenty zone thousand on'
hundred and nine. which yielded three peck,
and three quarters of clean wheat: III,
. weight of which was forty seven poundi
seven ounces. By a calculation made b.
counting the number Of grains in an ounce
the whole number Of grains was about $50
s4o." "By this account" SAYS Loudon
I'VE find that there was only one genera
division Of the plants made IN the spring
Had a second been made, Miller thinks d,
number of plants would have amounted Il
1000. instead of 500. aud the produce there
; by much enlarged"
Miller was the son Of distinguishes
gardener, aud bis experiment Was made in
garden. Since l766. wheat-culture, grass
1 culture. aud stock .hukbandry have mad
! wonderful progress 10 England; and "
ought 70 profit - largely as possible b, Ii
facts developed during their abundant ex
perience Of one hundred years a. the mos
successful husbandmea and tillers Of the soil
With us. wheat is winter aud spring crop
: and partskes Of all the peculiar advantage
oi the winter grasses, which We have - Of
ten and earnestl, commended. Now i u
time 10 make manure BY yarding o. housin
all live stock. collecting swamp muck. ashes
lime, &c. 10 fertiliEe wheat plants for th
!, next harvest. Add garden.house manure I
your compost heap. and also all refuse sal
IRON meat and eli wash-tab waste wateI
Prepare yonr land a. carefully as the Fog
Iish and Scotch do Tor sowing wheat. and y
other seed put into the ground will pay 70
40 veil.