Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-27

PREPARATION OF LAND ron
WHEAT


A correspondent contributes TO tn,
Country Gentleman the following time
ly article:
There are few practices in American
farming in which there is more loss thai
in the careless, imperfect manner of put
ting in wheat. 1t is very probable tina
more than half of the land soyn in tn,
United States, produces crops that range
from ten bushels per acre down to moth
ing, where only good management anC
good culture were needed to average from
twenty to thirty bushels per acre.
In growing winter wheat, some of the
main causes of and reasons for these Iight
yields, are sowing on badly prepared land,
either after spring crops or on an ole
grass sod, and on land too much run to
produce good crops of wheat-land that
in some cases is too much exhausted to
grow good wheat with good cultivation,
but more generally fails to grow paying
crops for want of good cultivation and
good management. l believe that few of
our good wheat lands are SO badly run
that suitable rotation of crops, frequent
seeding to clover, and well worked sum-
mer fallow, will not produce heavy crops
of wheat, while, as general rule, good
land that has had this kind of manage
ment for some years will grow very fair
wheat after well managed spring crops.
That so much land fails to grow paying
crops of wheat, when sown after spring
crops, where but little attention is given
to the rotation, and the wheat is sown
late on badly prepared land, is not surpris-
ing. 1t is true, rich new lands have
grown good wheat in this way, but it
would not be expected to see them con-
tinue to do SO after they have been long
time in cultivation. But in sections where
wheat appears to be gradually failing
under bad cultivation, good farming and
fine cultivation may still grow good crops.
A large part of wheat farming is on soils
of this character and condition, and
large share of the failures and light crops
are owing to sowing such lands after
spring crops, where the land is not well
managed, suitably prepared, or properly
A far too common practice is to break
up an old sod, plant to corn, potatoes and
beans two or three years, SOW to oats,
barley or some other spring crop year or
two more; and, after the land is thus
pretty well run out with spring crops, SOW
TO wheat and seed down. Now this is a
very bad system, or rather, way of farm
ing, for there is no system about it. To
thus reduce the soil with spring crops, and
then expect to grow good wheat with the
scant preparation usually given in such
cases, is taxing the soil severely. In the
first place, an old and, in a sense, ex-
lausted June grass and timothy sod, with
most likely good sprinkling of wire grass,
IS not a good, genial condition of the land
% start whit is far inferior
o a good, clean clover sod. This
I'D sod, with the scant cult
7ation, and very little, often no hoeing
given to crops nowadays, will seldom be
veil subdued, but the wire grass Poa
roots, like those of the Cana
la thistle and quack grass, will grow as
veil one-end up as the other, and other
weeds will largely work in. So the
pring crops are none too clean at first,
md gradually get worse, as the land is |
Lept under the same general management,
Until the last crops are quite foul and poor. |
l good summer fallow is needed to sub !
lue such land, as it will be much more
Iifficult than when the sod was first bro
zen up; and no one shouldexpect to grow
,ood wheat by the usual practice of mere
y turning under the stubble, smoothing
Iown with the harrow, sowing and har-
owing in. This course is still worse |
rom being usually done rather late.
such farmers are not generally any too |
veil along with their work, while it is a
cry common practice to SOW the summer |
allows, or rather well prepared fields |
re least prepared to grow wheat with
UGH treatment.
Another bad practice is to pillow up an
Id sod harrow, down the furrow, and SOW
wheat Immediately. Timothy and June
Tass being also cereals of similar ma
ure to wheat, exhausts the soil in much |
he same manner, thus leaving it in a |
aIher bad condition for wheat. Besides, |
he wheat plant lisa delicate feeder that, IN
ike corn and peas, which do well on fresh |
cd, must have the manure, sod or other
liant food well rotted and prepared, to be
airly available, while an old, dry sod,
Flowed under in dry weather, is long
ime in rotting. So an old sod, freshly
bowed under, makes bad preparation |
or wheat.
A good clover sod is good deal better,
hot nf hn
furnishes additional supplies of the very |
dement's most needed by wheat. A clean,
lover sod also rots much sooner than the |
Id grass sod above described, and much |
ooner brings the soil into condition to |
i've the wheat q good start. But even |
With clover it is much better to break up |
hree or four weeks before seeding, as it |
5 better to have any sod pretty well rot
ed when the wheat is sown.
1t is true that very good wheat is in
many cases grown after spring crops. On
ich, clean land, a clover sod may be
planted to corn, the next spring sown to |
barley or peas, and be put into wheat the |
anne fall. If a good clover stubble is
urned under, and a light dressing |
# manure is given before SOW
ng the wheat, good crops should |
,e grown in this course. But a
'eter way is to grow a crop of clover be- /
ween the barley and wheat Clover takes
veil with barley, and can thus be grown
between tws exhausting grain crops to
he very best advantage. But there is g
,ood deal of barley and otherstubble that
8 not seeded, and that if the land is clean
nd well prepared, has light dressing of
manure, and is sown in good season, will
row good wheat and good clover if
eeded with the wheat. OF course it will
We best to SOW such land to wheat this
all. But where the most of these i'm
,ortant requisites of good farming are
wanting, where the land is not well
reasonably sure Of a good
rop of wheat, and of good crops of
lover if seeded with the wheat, it viii
n most cases be best to leave it and
make thorough summer fallow the next
eason. For where land is to grow wheat
nd two or three crops of grass from one
it pays to do it well, as a
mall deficiency three or four times re-
,eated, in as many crops, will much more
han offset the cost of the extra cultIva-
ion needed.
In preparing land for wheat, it should
'e made fine and mellow, not light and