The Portland daily press., 1867-08-31

not to SOW the grain on ground which IL ant IN.
be wet and bare of snow Ice will kin o,,t eIc-
Yer and grass as well as wheat If the land 1e
such that the water will not stand long mn. IN
it, and il of sandy loan not APT to heaye by
frosts, the assurance of suce, IS in this case is
doubly sure. We take pains TO select lie
right spot for corn; why should we not take
equal pains to find the right location for wheat?
Almost every farm has such choice pieces of
ground. There is no trouble here with our
son. soh' 1t is well adapted TO wheat There is
,'ne enough in it without an artificial applica-
'ion' rev States, so far as the soil is cCnsid-
oieu' nave preeminence over Maine in a nat
ural capacity Tor wheat.
some twenty years ago we obtained n small
package oil wheat from the Patent Offiec at
Washington. The grain was very loroe and
beautiful. We sowed il in a sced nod n, ,ba
garden, early in autumn, as we would nlant
beeIs. 1t came up, grew rankly, and not root
fit was winter-kiiled. In July following we
gathered the grain, kept it carefully, and in
the fall sowed it all in the field. 1t withstood
the winter, and the next summer we harvested
two or three bushels. That we sowed the toll
lowing August, lived through the winter,
and our crop at harvest was over thirty bushels
Of as sound and handsome wheat as ever grown
Egypt or California. We gave it the name of
the Banner" wheat and distributed it for
seed through the State. For years it was a
very popular article, and in most cases, with
proper care, those who cultivated it me. with
great success, and Dreaded their families with
| az nice Hour as anybody conld desire But, in
timn bV raralaaa aIn In
mixing with other grain, it seemed to wear out
and since that time We have hardly heard of
any extensive sowing OF winter wheat. We,
however, kept the seed growing took proper
care in cultivation, and hardly ever failed in
Sc, uring good crop every year. As we said
in commencing this article, in our own exper-
rience, we have found winter wheat as sure a
crop as the average products OF the field. All
are liable to diseases and failures from some
canse; this no more so than osh-rs. -
But IL people will not be encouraged 10 try
winter wheat, we can tell them OF way in
which, we think, spring wheat may be SO for
warded as to escape the rust and weeyils to a
very great extent. Plough up your corn or
potato ground late in Autumn, harrow and
smooth them well-just rs if you were going to
sow the seed next day; but don't sow it till in
very early spring, say after the snow is gone
and the surface of the ground is partly thawed
| Then 20 on and SOW the wheat. Tho soft top
| soil will let the seed sink somewhat into it. In
a few days it will sprout and come up. Very
soon after the frost is out OF the ground, IL will
be going ahead, whilst others are waiting for
the ground to get settled so they can plough,
harrow and sow the grain. In this way you
| will gain fortnight and the fortnight will
probably steal the march on both rust and vice.
wills ipAs
1t would be great thing for the State of
Maine, could she be induced to raise her
own wheat. True, our farmers can raise po-
tatoes, oats and barley enough to exchange for
western -four, and in this way bread their fam
lilies, but surely, IL would be better it, in addi-
tion to these articles, every farmer would grow
| at least one acre of wheat-winter or spring.
This, ordinarily, would give him three or four
barrels of -four, which must be a great desd-
eratum in the cost of subsisting family. We
know many farmers now who never purchas-
ed barrel of -four in their time, but have not
failed to supply their tables with excellent
wheaton bread of their own making. What
some have done all can do also.