Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-05
preparation of Land for wheat-NO :
From the Western Rural.

From the Western Rural.
Much wheat is lost every year by being
beaved out by frost. This seldom happens
except in light soils, or in land in which the
seed has been sown so late IN the fall that
it had not time TO become firmly rooted be-
fore vegetation was checked by frost. Shall
low blowing is frequently the cause Of
wheat being heaved out, also the stagnant
water Of undrained soils, for the roots can
not penetrate deep enough TO draw up those
ingredients which are necessary to sustain
the plants, or TO acquire firm hold on the
soil. Soil saturated with water expands
considerably in freezing, and in doing 40,
fractures the roots of plants, and loosens
their hold on the soil. Wheat is never
heayed out in land which has been tho
roughly drained, and deepened by subsoil-
ing across the drains.
Heavy clay lands have generally been
denominated "wheat soils yet some of the
most abundant crops of grain have been
raised on sandy soils, which have been pro-
perly TILED and enriched by manure. Pre-
vious 10 the introduction of the turnip into
the husbandry Of England, stiff, clay soil
was alone thought suitable for the produc-
ton of wheat, and it was ameliorated by
following and frequent plowings, etc. The
introduction Of turnips prOduceda complete
revolution in the system of cropping.
Naked fallows disappeared and a regular
syste N Of rotation Of crops has been estab-
lisbed. by means of which the land Is
MANFRED evenly, and weeds and destruc-
tive insects are banished. Soils 80 light as
to come under the denomination Of blow
ing sands" have been consolidated by grow
ing turnips, and folding the sheep TO eat
them on the fields; their trampling and
droppings being sufficient to make light
soil tenacious. Heavy, tenacious soils have
been ameiorated by drainage, the adoption
of the drill system of husbandry, and rota-
ton of crops.
Wheat delights in new soil, but il is
necessary that the roots of the grasses and
other plants should be decomposed, in or
der TO prevent their growth, and TO furnish
food to the wheat plants. Land that has
been for sometime in tillage and then laid
down in good heart, and allowed to remain
for few years in grass when broken up
again will generally produce a better crop
of wheat than wild soil" that is soil
which has never produced a cultivated
crop. heterogeneous manures are best suited
for wheat. Professor Johnston proved this
in his " Lectures on Agricultural Chem-
istry." II we take a wheat plant and eX-
anime the composition Of the flour il con-
tains. As raised on different soils, and from
the application of different manures il
will be found that its gluten, which
contains a large per centage Of nitrogen, is
invariably increased by the increased pro-
portion of nitrogen in the manure.
The composition Of wheat vari es greatly
according TO many circumstances such as
soil. manure, climate, variety, time Of SOW
ing. and time Of harvesting, etc. The fol-
lowing analysis by Sprengel may be taken
as an average; 100000 parts dry wheat
contains l776 of ash or inorganic matter;
the same quantity Of wheat straw contains
1918 parts of ash. They consist of the
E,11ovrin,y uubafauppe.