Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-03-11
Raising Wheat.

| good climate, and on good wheat
soil, free from all stagnant water,
stones or other distractions to perfect
cultivation, we inquire as to what is
the first thing to be done to raise a
good crop of this important cereal.
by rotation with other crops.
d4et us suppose we have ten acre
field of prairie land, that never was
plowed. If the sod is heavy and
tough, We will pillow it during the last
week in May, with a small pillow,
blowing the furrow slice two inches
deep and twelve wide. The mass of
roots will decay quicker in such a
furrow slice than if plowed deeper.
In the latter part of September,
cross plow two inches deeper than
before, turning all the ground over,
Not a balk is left by good plowman,
and every part of the soil is worked
in the most perfect manner. In the
spring following, as soon as the
ground is sufficiently dry, cross the
pillow furrow with fine tooth culti-
vator or n heavy harrow, to make a
good seed bed before sowing. One
bushel and half of good clean seed
wheat per acre is sufficient, if well
covered with earth. AS soon as the
grain is gathered from the field, the
ground should be plOwed at least six
inches deep, and left to the action of
the frost, which will greatly assist in
the cultivation the following spring.
By the last of April or the first of
May, in the spring following, the
ground should be cultivated with
some good cultivator, and narrowed
smooth. and marked out both ways
three feet ten inches apart, for corn,
three stalks in each hill is enough of
our yellow dent variety. Stir the
ground early and often, throwing
the ground'to the corn as much as
possible. In harvesting corn, there
are uJ lcaSI t"o way % INV 10 Suth'iiS
the corn up and shocking in the field
to be husked afterwards, or husk it
on the hill, leaving the stalks to be
pastured by stock in the winter. AS
this ground cannot 10 plOwed in the
fall, it will be the work of the follow
ing spring to prepare it for seed bed
for wheat. There are differentways in
Black Hawk county, of doing this {:
| Some farmers sow their wheat among
the corn stalks, and try to cover it
with the shovel-plow and harrow,
leaving the ground very uneven, be-
sides gathering the corn. stalks into
heaps, causing great waste to grain
in time of harvest. This not only
looks slovenly, but is So. The corn
stalks should he cut with stalk cut
ter, and the ground plowed and har
rowed. This converts the grounC
into a good seed bed, and it is ther
ready for the seed. AS the grounC
has had two crops, it is now ready
for the third. Grass of some kline
should be started this season
The ground should be sown with
wheat, broadcast by hand, one bushel
and one peck of good clean seed
wheat per acre, and not less than Ave
quarts of red clover seed per acre
the ground should be narrowed once
then SOW the clover seed and harrow
the other way, and roll the grounc
smooth. After the wheat is harvest
ed, the clover should not be pastureC
the first fall. The spring following
the ground should be MANFRED will
fine manure, or gypsum if it can bt
procured at prices that will pay. Il
think it will not pay to give So
per barrel for gypsum, rs I did las
year, The summer following, thu
clover should be pastured or cut fol
hay and seed. And the next sum
mer the clover should be cut by The
first of June, or pastured until tina
time. Then let the clover grow un
til the last of September, and pillow
the whole mass under, and leave un'
til spring, when there will be seee
bed that will grow wheat, oats, corn
or any crop that the farmer wishe:
to raise.
JOHN TENNYSoN.