North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-09-30
1farmfr's Gol II NJ II
Top DRESSING WHEAT, sc.

In 1858 we visited the farm of John Johnston, near
Geneva. Ny in company with Mr. II. E. Hooker,
oftnis city. Mr. Johnston pointed out to US the
effect of dressing of salt ESQ lbs) to the acre. The
salted wheat was much the best the straw heavier,
brighter and SITTER and the heads larger 1t was
at least five days earlier, and the midge had conse
quenly, done little or no lamage; while on the ad-
Joining eleven acres the mdge had injure it maer-
ally.
Mr. Johnston pointed out strips of wheat where
the In nd had been manurel and the same effect was
also distinctly visible.
A few days since Mr.. Hooker in our office
an remarked: 81 learned a good deal from that
visit to JOHNSTON that has cen ofuse to me- have
top dressed my wheat several times since then and
ALWAYS with great benefit. l have observed the
same thing among my neshboTs,
"I have a piece" he continued, part of which
top-d dressed last fall, wth well rotted dung. The
wheat on this prt is at least week earlier ard will
Weld rs much again as the other portions of the
fed. 1t will yiel} thirty bushels per acre, while l
think the other will not so over fifteen bushels"
" How did you apply the manure we asked"
81 spread it on the fallow and narrowed it in. 1
then sowed the seed and narrowed it again and roll
ell it."
u know another case where the manure and seed
were all plowed in together, and the wheat is excel
lent"
" Wi h gang plow, | suppose %
"No, the farmer had no gang plow, that would
have done the work more ex; cautiously. The piece
was summer fallow. broken up the last CT June,
and crossed powed very shallow, not to turn up
the sod, in August The manure was then spread on
the surface and seed and all turned unier with the
plow as shallow as pessiblenot than two inches
deep, or at the most, three inches"
THE manure seems to &ct as a kind Of mulch
The wheat gets good start and winters well. The
roots to spread ont the surface and it
does not send out a tap root The freezing and
thawing does not iujure It, The whole of roots
heave up AMI down with the soil aai receives no nju
ry. If it had tap roots they would be broken off,
and the plant weakened or killed"
& have always believed" we remarked, that
wheat would be very grateful for a little manure
But John Johnston does not manure his wheat in
that way. He applies it on the grass land the fall
before he breaks it up for wheat At least, this,
believe is his usual plat The farmers in Whea tland
are adopting the same system with good result"
There is one thing" continued Mr.. Hooker, " l
want to tell you. ! had fine piece of land that
planted in potatoes and the next spring sowed it with
on ;, seeding it down with clover and timothy. The
next year l moved the clover. 1t was . fair crop
principally clover. 1t 50 happened that l could not
pasture it, and let the second crop Of clover rot on
the land The next year had excel ent crop OF
hoy-more timothy than the year before, The sec
ond cropI left grow and act on the land as before
and The next year had still heavier grass. le
the second crop rot the land as before and this
season it is the heaviest cropsoi grass l ever had
Is it nearly all timothy!"
No there is good deal Of clover in it. The
fact is the second crop produces good deal of seed
and have doubt that had pasturcd the land il
thefall in the usual way l should not by this tim,
have had more than half a ton of hay per acre, a
the llnd is very poor. Genesce Farmer