Buchanan County bulletin and guardian., 1868-02-14
Western whcasCui,ur Rusnsas.


lection oi agricultural statistics, and
for conference with professional or
other ia .cliigent saglienltursts rela-
tive TO department cooperation in
Nil Of the interests and supply of the
wants ol that great section. the'elitor
~ this report was struck particularly
with the ruinous tendency Of this cur
rent system Tor want of systsm) of
wheat culture, a few suggcstionsson
this point viii be,hazarded.
La what respect ruinous? In i'm.
povcrishmcnt OF the soil, in dcte,ior-
alton ofseed, in overrunning the conn.
try with weeds, IN promoting a1false
aad wasting system of political econ
omv. These are serious charges, but
they arc made in good faith. can be
easily substantiated, ,sand will .beiac.
knowlcaged just by thousands Of west
ern wheat growers.
The prevalent mode of operating
involves first partial breaking of the
soil, rendering sowing irregular in
position and depth, and drilling diff.
calt andiimperfect, giving weeds quite
rs good chance as the wheat. The
next year superficial, has,y plough
ing partially covers the stubble, and
very slightly the tangle Of weeds. and
wheat is. again put in. Year. after
year wheat follows wheat and weeds
iacrease, while the yield Of grain d.
minishes, partially from loss Of GER
tain clements Of the soil and partly be-
cause weeds have usurped large ar
en- OF the fields. In the mean time,
As il to Increase the loss from the
wheat necessarily carried away, the
straw by millions ottons. worth alElost
As mach per ton for feeding as the
marsh..or prairie hay of the country,
is burned nightly in harvest time till
the sky is bright with a continued
holocaust of greenbacks in straw; and
tho excuse for thus. .dissipating in thin
MIR, 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 NAL.
treated soil. This picture may not
be verified in every wheat field of the
west, but who will deny its striking
likeness in most casess
Is proof os impoverishment wanted !?
One witness only is nceded-,hs soil
itself. First, thirty bushels per acre
is the boast Of the farmer: then. the
yield drops to twenty to twenty,
IA fifteen, and finally to ten and eight.
Minnesota claimed twenty-five bushels
average a few years ago, (some of her
enthusiastic friends made it twenty.
sevel.l but she will scarcely average
this year twelve, and will never again
make twenty-two under present mode
Of farming. To be sure, there are ex
cuses. The seasons do not suit al
formerly, blight or rust comes, or the
fiy inyades. but all these things ars
evidences of exhaustion, and prey up
on the soil in proportion to its deteri
ora,iou. Yet in comparatively new
soils the depreciation is caused by ex
cess Of weeds through careless cal,ur'
more than by actual loss of fertility
The same causes that deplete th'
soil produce degeneracy in the seed
which perpetuates weakness and in
perfection, reducing the yield so rap
idly that new seed must be obtained
at once or all profit must be foregone
A careful selection of seed shoul,
every year be practiced, and new seet
used after successful test. 1t is q
easy to improve seed by special car
as il is to injure it by this special neg
lect, and he who will undertake sucl
Improvement wisely as business, wi
make fortune and prove publ
tencfactor.
The weed nuisance is stupendous
destroying annually tens of millions c
bushels Of wheat. They have obtain
ed strong foo.hold. The evil is
radical one, and can only be cured b
bsing torn up by the roots, which ca
Lever be done without more ihol
oagh and careful system of cultur'
The average yield of wheat 10 En-!
land is stated at twenty-eiglt bushe
per acre, never less than twenty-si.
unless in a year Of unusually bad ha
vests. The average i'll this count,
i less than half of the lowest OF thes
figures. Why is it? Certainly N
because our soil is poorer than their
neither because our climate is SO mut
worse for wheat culture ltis main
for want of a suitable rotation Of crop
Of a more careful husbandry of 7
sources of fertilization, of more tho
oueh and careful culture
A fourth aspect Of the case presen
a no less ruinous feature. A fal
system ofpolitical economy is foste
ed Iu the northwest wheat cultu
is parody upon the cotton culture
years past. 1t is running one pI
duc.iou into excess, and ignoring
others. Northwestern caltiyators a
scarcely farmers, they are wheat gro
ers. Cattle are high in price, hors
very high, milk is scarce and butt
sometimes unknown, while strs
stacks are burning and the wheat
The mercy Of spectators and the ra
roads. and bringing high prices on
anier the curse of God upon forei;
wheat fields, and when foreign natio
are in danger of famine, and ev'
then but moiety ofthe supply com
from this country. Exchanged for
thousand other needed things at e
orbitant prices, the wheat brings litil
SO improvements are ignored an
~hest fields extended, until by and b
she soil exhausted or given up
weeds. they will share the fate of co
ton fields, leaving the land poor, Il
owner poorer, and pioneer in sor
mare distant West.
A dependence on grain growing 4
expectation has ever been fallacy
this country and ever will be; b;
eyer proved and ever will curse
our agriculture. We want mol
grain and we want it all eaten in til
country: We want the wheat-eatel
among the wheat-growers; we wal
clotl-makers among wool-growere
we want in the west tenfold create
variety in agricultural. manufacturin
and mechanical industry; then twel
ty-!ive bushels per acre will bring tw
dollars per bus:lel, aud the railroae
viii be employed in more proftab