Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-12-17
THE HERALD.
From the Department of Agriculture
Western Wheat Culture Ruinous.

lection 81 agrteHitural statistics, aud
tor confer nco with professional or
other intelligent agrlculturlsts reia-
tive to department cooperation in
aid vi the interests and supply of the
wants Of that great section, the cdr
tor OF this report was struck ,psrtic-
ularly with the ruinous tendency Of
the current system COR want OF sys~
tenn of wheat culture. 4 few sug~
gsstlons on this point will bo hazard
ed.
In what respect ruinous? In i'm
poverishment OF the soil, in deteror>
alton OF seed, IN overlunning the
country with weeds, in promoting
false and wasting system OF political
economy. These are serious charges,
but they are made IN good faith, can
be easily subst inflated, and will be
acknowledge by thousands OF west
ern wheat growers.
The prevalent mode of operating
involves first a partial breaking of
the soil, rendering sowing irregular
in position and depth, and drilling
difficult and imperfect, giving weeds
quite as good chance as the wheat.
The next year superficial, hasty
ploughing partially covers the stubs
Bile, and very slightly the tangle of
weeds, and wheat is again put in
Year after year wheat follows wheat
and weeds increase, while the yield
of grain diminishes, partially from
loss of certain elements Of the soil
and partly because weeds have usurr-
cd large area Ga me folds. In the
mean time, ss if to increase the loss
from the wheat necessarily carried
away, the straw by millions of tons,
worth almost as much per ton for
feeding as tho marsh or prairie hay
of the country, is burned nightly in
harvest time till the sky is bright
with continued holocaust of green
backs in straw; and the excuse for
thus designating ia thin air, not only
elements of nutrition, but valuable
elements Of fertilization, is that the
way may be clear for the plough to
scratch over again the maltreated
soil. This picture may not be verifi>
cd in every wheat field of the west,
but who will deny its striking like
ness in most cases
Is proof Of Impeachment want~
ed2 One witness orly is needed
the soil itself First, thirty bushels
per acre is the boast Of the farmer
then the yield drops to twenty five,
to twenty to fifteen, and finally TO
ten and eight. Minnesota claimed
twenty-five bushels average few
years ago, (some Of her enthusiastic
friends made it twenty-seven,) but
she will scarcely average this year
twelve, and will never again make
twenty-five under her present mode
Of farming. 70 be sure, there are
excuses. The seasons DO not srit a.
formerly, blight or rust comes, or the
fly invadcs, but all these thing are
evidences Of exhaustion. and prey
upon The soil III proportion to il~ q
tcrloration. Yet in comparatively
new soils the depreciation Is caused
rs excess Of weeds through careless
culture more than by sotual loss OF
fertility.
The same causes that depiete the
soil produce degeueracy III the seed
Which perpetuates weakness and i'm
perfection, reducing the yield So
rapidly that new seed must be OF
tanned at once or all profit must be
toregone. 4 careful selection of seed
should every year BIO practiced, and
new seed used after ruccessfal
test 1t is as easy 20 improve seed
Ly special care a. it is 10 injure it by
this special neglect, and he who will
undertake such Improvement wisely
Os business, will make a fortune
and prove public benefactor.
The weed nuisance is stupendous,
destroying annually tens Of millions
OF bushels OF wheat They have OBJ
tanned a strong toothold The evil
u a radical one, and can only be cured
by being torn up by the roots, which
can never be done without t more
thorough and careful system of cul-
ture. The average yield Of wheat in
England Is stated at twcnty>eight
Bushels per acre, never less than
twenty>six, unless-in a year Of unn>
sually bao harvests. The average In
this country IS less than half Of the
lowest OF those figures. Why is it /?
Certainly not because our soil is
poorer than theirs, neither because
our climate Is 50 much worse for
wheat culture. Its mainly for want
ot suitable rotation of crops of q
more careful hus5andry OF resources
OF tertllization, OF NOR thorough
and careful culture.
\ fourth aspect Of the case pre-
sents 10 less ruinous feature. 4
false system OF political economy is
tostered. In the northwest wheat
culture is parody upon the cotton
culture OF years past 1t is RAINING
one production into excess. and u.
noring ali others Northwestern cGl.
tiyators are scarcely farmers. they
are wheat growers. Cattle are nigh
milk is scarce and butter sometimes
unknown, while straw stacks are
burning and the wheat at the mercy
OF spectators aud The railroads, and
bringing high prices only under the
curse Of God upon foreign wheat
fields. and when nations are in dam
ger OF famine, and even then but q
molety Of the supply comes from this
country Exchanged for a thousand
other needed things at exoroiluut
prices, the wheat brings little, soim
provemeuts are guorvd and wheat
iieits extended. uutN is AID IN. the
soil exhausted nr given up To weeds,
they VIII share the late ot cotton
fields, leaving tae i&ud poor, thcowu.
err poorer, and $ pioneer ia some
more distant wcs'.
A dependence ia grain growing
for expectation hs4 ever been IA
lacy in this conntry sud ever viii 81
has over proved and ev,rwilI y ems.