Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-04-29
.GRICULTURAL'
,..,, Craving In View England.

ubeaf Growing In teH LhghHN'
7b., g,od policy demands that the farmers
ofNeW England, who ere pursuing
,-..o-, Of culture. and who are not deVO'ins
,t.;- energies to some specific object snoui'
=, ,ho;r ow, bread-stufs, we have so DITCH
-, ,h., ,re are almost at loss about The pro
nrietv of again urging the growing Oh NnSA' ~,
home consumption. Yet when We remember 'nA'
.re eri,ipeI to lay line upon line and precept
-, ,rscs,t we cannot forbear making " mere
.1o,.;a,, >, If the subject once more 1t is
mere waste Of words to attempt 10 argue '"1'
wheat IA sing is profitable, when the evidence
.h.t sucb il the case is before Us on every hand
rho Vermont wheat ccp of 1863 was not ex-
oeIled bv that Of any other State in the UniOn'
.,5 when we take into account the fact that
svsry bushel Of whea; raised here is worth just
- ,,ncb more than bushel raised in Illinois
orIors As II costs to transport hushel: hence We
,,sr,eive the Vermont farmers margin for pro
6, &c M inconsiderabe item. But it is not to
he expected that the Western farmers are al
WAYS roing 10 be so unwise as to stick to wheat
erowings without adequate remuneration, and
we see taat they are already abandoning that
business as a speciality, and are pursuing more
mixed system Of husbandry. In a discussion
upon the subject at the last county meeting OF
the Massachusetts, Board Of Agriculture, one
gentleman deprecated the waste Of time
discussing the better methods Of raising wheat
since it is always practicable to buy it for much
less than the cost Of production. President
Chadbourne Of the University Of Wisconsin, who
happened to be present, rather tartly advised
the gentleman to earn what he might on the
subject while the Western farmers are learning
New England arts, and preparing to practice
them, assuring him that the Wisconsin farmers
had already learned that they were not confined
to wheat growing for a liy ihooi, but are becom-
ing largely interested in dairying, and other
branches Of which New England has constantly
held almost a monopoly |, Is vel known that
the wheat region, or what Is more generally
known as the wheat belt, is constantly receed-
ing, or rather proceeding, westward, and those
regions that have been most noted for their
wheat crops in the past, now produce little or
none This, however, Is but a general result
Of an erroneous system Of culture, and applies
Just as truly 10 any other branch As TO wheat
growing. It's equally true Of dairying, aud
many Of those sections that once enjoyed a
high reputation in this respect, have either
abandoned the business or adopted more IA
tonsl and recuperatiye systems Of culture.
All Europe, and most Of the United States,
east Of the Mississippi has been practically eX-
hsustei Of the g." national" wheat food, and
the old system ofcropping without any return
TO the soil, is giving place, Of necessity, to
more expensive but : more remuneratiye pro
duction. But few years ago the average
wheat crop Of Old England was but ten bush
els to the acre-Wheress it is now thirty and
we of New England have made about the same
progress, starting, however, from compare
lively no production. We have not reached
the high English STANDARD, not having adopt
ed their system Of thorough tillage and high
msnuring. On these points we have very much
to learn, bat the indications are most encour-
aging and we have no doubt that We shall go
on improving in that respect, till We become
comparatively independent Of remote wheat
producers.
For ourself, We have DO fear Of the recurrence /
Of wheat barrenness, notwithstanding the ola
adage that history repeats itself periodically. |
We have exhausted the virgin soil once and for /
ever, and when thes system of farming under the .
law Of compensation is once fairly established, /
there is no reason why it should not 90 on III
definitely and with constantly increasing crops.
We published only few days since 81 &C
count Of wheat crop where over ffty-six fold
was realized. 1t may be said that this is an
exceptional case, and only on a small scale.
There can be no good reason why just as good
crops may not be realized On large As on a
small scale with the same care and labor. and
I only rests With US to determine whether the
.rop in the case under consideration was re-
one. The greatest benefit which has
esulted from the distribution of new seed in
mall quantities has been the lessons ieluced
rom the sparse seeding AMI high culture Of
mall plots. Were the last Early Rose potato 4
truck out Of existence today the lessons that
is production has taught would be ample COM
ensaton for all thst has been expended upon it.
1t is not our purpose, nor viii our space per- ]
nit an attempt to discuss, in detsil the processes
ecessary to a better and more profitable sys-
EN- of wheat culture. Those of our readers
tho desire to pursue the subject VIII fod it
cry SHY discussed in the American Wheat J
ulturist or RIippart's Wheat Plant, either a
which may be ordered through cur book v
Hers.