Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-02-26
From Inc Episcopal Methodist
The Failure Of the Wheat Crop.

Mr.. EDlT"R:-There is great want o.
Information as to the hest method of ap,
pv'ns manures. There appears TO be no
definite plan for improving the fertility OF
the s'il. Surely it is possible to ascertain
how both Of these important objects NAV
be reached. We do not believe 4 possible
! TO farm soil, or, perhaps, more properly
: spe king. the food for plants below Ia er
OF sub eoiI We believe that all of the
elements essential for he growth OF plants
are formed at the surface-ahove. not be-
neath the sub-soil; that .cat and mni~tu. 9
certainly. and perhaps light, are essential
TO the decomposition Of all matter and to
the foundation Of all soils that the de-
composition Of vegetable matter and ,h..
formation OF soil can never occur when
placed beneath layer of sub soil aud suf
Tered to remain undisturbeG. The Object
OF our remarks is to call attention and TO
ascertain, if possible, the best me,hod of
securing the grea est and most certain
yield of wheat We remark ut tbs outse,, =,
that we are fully persuaded that the policy
of turning under clover or grass TO pro-
mote the growth Of wheat, or 10 increase
the fertility of tho soil, to he uuwise an
more "r less ruinous in its results. W.
now proceed 10 give our reasons Tor the
fa'Ih that lis IN US. In the year 1857,
! WIN. 9 Norwood bought tract If land.
! part Of which had been painted in corn.
III" corn was laid by early the result was
'uxuriant growth Of craD "r crop glass
; lie made ready several long and narrow
sco"te's or gapphers, so-caled. thar he
might be able, if possible 10 get his
! wheat sufficiently cov-:el to get g,n,I
stand. Whrn he had fri,I.ed plow,ng
over the field. i, WAS no badly d..ne. ,ha,
he thought the wheat wnuld not come up.
lle therefore determine to cross-pow it.
1t rainsd and prevented any Ill ore blowing.
The yield of wheat was twenty busl,els yer
acre. d.. Archer bonght part OF the
same tract Of land. The portion Of his
that WAS planted in corn bad been in
cultivation but few years, perhaps ouly
three years, and had a murh uIure luxnrr-
ant cr"p ol grass than N"rwood's.- IL
order to get full stand of wheat he piuwed
and cro>s-pIowej with narrow sruoters.
When done, you could Lot have told at a
few PAGES that it bad been pluwed. He
'nade TWENTY-FIVE bu~l..!s per acre. Mr.
Sharp commenced plowing very grassy
ileid; after blowing two or three ucrcs
with narrow scooters he Was 20 dissatisfied
and fearing that it woulI result in the loss
Of crop, he burned the grass IF OF the
remainder Of the fi-ld before blowing in.
When he came 10 harvest the field. that
which had not teen burned and was not
half plowed in, or only scratched in as he
supposed, was by far :he ,aIlest and heavi.
est and best wheat. NJ. Arnold sowcd
several acres in advance of the plows,
part Of which was good land and had An
abundant yie:d OF grass on it. About the
time they reached this piece Of good and
grassy land it rained, preventing pIowing
10. II" gathered twenty busheIS to the
acre. We explain thus: the cum stalk
or straw sheltered and rro,ecI ed the wlea,
more or less during The winter In til.
Spring the warm sun and n,o'.i ure ro,,ed.
decayesd and prepared the luxnriant crop OF
grass-straw for food for The wheat; 10 ad-
duion, the surface or soil was crowded.
matted, tiIl'd with myrisds of grass roots
which we're decomposed in the surIace or
soil proper, and furnished still fu,ther
and larger supply Of food for the whent.
we aek the question, which would you
suppose would afford the greatest amour,
OF nourishment or food Tor the wheat to
let 'he grass decay and rot on top and the
grass roots decompose and rot III the gu r,
face soil, or TO turn the grass under and the
roots up, and have them exposed to the
beating rains and winds Of winter3 Our
belief Is, that if you scratch the SURFACE
with drag harrow or narrow scooter, 80
as to kill the culm stalks or straw OF your
clover Without bnrying tho same, The crop
OF wheat will be greatly incvea.sd and the
land much improved. We doubt the pro.
pr'esy Of breaking the la"d deep 10 in
crease the yield ~ the whea. crop. In all
the casss cited the land was scarceIy
scratched; .be grass prevented the break
ing OF the land; ia one case it was not
touched with p!o": :hsrow or d,ag, but
came up and grew without as.i.tance from
mans culture. One :oths, example 70
esf"bI'sh The fact, sl,st deep ;cul,uie is no,
necessary toa large yield OF wheat. Our
cotton fields on laying hy are left in ridges
from thirty inches TO three, feet apart. To
preven: the wheat from rolling off ,be
ridges. it is, ,sustomssy:to sap furrov on
The top o. the ridge, which reduces the
ridge aud throws more or-Iess loose dir, on
each stds' The whss. IL then sewea and
plo~ed ia horizontal or across tue !rfdgss
A field Ahps prepared vas sowed i. .siusd
and prevented the pio~ing. 10; isis crop,
without ;plowing .ios .xas fenss Of .be beat
crops ever grown on the land. We tssl