Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-04-05
Agriculture,

AE.iculGurc.
EDITOR GAZETTE VIII you lend q
column or two OF your paper each
week to Agricultural subjects The
GAZETTE circulates to a considerable
extent among the farmers Of this local
ity, and as agriculture is the chief pur-
suit of this new and rapidly growing
country, a discussion, to a limited ex-
tent at least, of this subject, will be, II
properly conducted, of interest and
profit to many of your readers.
If agreeable to your mind, Il would
offer few thoughts upon
THE WHEAT CROP FOR 1867.
There is at present no crop grown in
the Cedar Valley, that is of SO much
Importance to the farmer, and in fact
the whole community as the Spring
Wheat crop. The prospect is that a
much larger breadth of wheat will be
sown the present spring than any pre-
year in Northern Iowa.
The high prices for the last few years
have stimulated farmers to give their
attention chiefly to this staple product.
The prospect for a good price the
present year is encouraging, from the
fact, that for many years there has not
been SO short crop on hand as at pres
ent,, both i'm the Old and New World.
The new crop of 1867 will be thrown
upon the market with empty ware.
houses.
In view Of the prospect for paying
prices of the next crop. it behooves the
farmer to use all diligence to improve
they opportunity to sow all they can,
and in the best possible manner.
Lucky are those who have fall plow-
ing or new breaking already for seed
ing. Thereby they will be enabled to
seed earlier than on. spring blowing,
and the product usually is about one
fourth more.
It is worthy of note that the farmers
in this locality, have ready for the seed
large amou mt of new breaking and
fall blowing, the results of which will
most certainly be manifest next har-
vest.
To those who have neither fall plow-
ing or breaking, corn stock land is the
next best chance. If the land is new
and free from foul weeds or grass seeds,
the wheat may be sown broad cast and
cultivated in, but il the land is older.
and foul with weeds and grass, it will
pay best to pillow well, then SOW and
harrow well, and if practicable after q
few days roll it. r.-.- @
Good clean seed should always be
sown If it can be obtained yet many
fair crops of wheat have been harvest
ed from inferior-looking and shrunken
wheat, when like the present time,
seed is high and scarce. c. -. .
The amount of wheat necessary to
be sown, varies from one-half TO two
bushels per acre, according to the size OF
the kernels.
It's very essential that wheat should
be well covered. Experiments have
taught that from one to one-and-a-h halt
inches is about the proper depth for
wheat. If the seed is left partially
covered, or entirely uncovered, the dry
ing winds of April and May are apt to
wither and kin the young plant.
When the ground is in proper condi-
ton, cultivator or drill machine is
perhaps the best method of putting in
wheat, as by these methods the seed is
more evenly and thoroughly covered.
The present late Spring may tend to
discourage some in regard to the pros
pect of a good wheat crop, but the rec
ords of many of the best farmers of H.
Hnois, show that some of the best wheat
crops grown in that State, were sown
after the middle of April, the frost not
being out of the ground until that
time. A FARMER.
April LIST, 1867.