White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-09-07
for the farmer.
WHEAT GROWING IN KANSAS.

EDITORS LAWRENCE TEBUNE:-Through the
columns Of your valuable paper, l wish tn convey
few practical hints on the culture of wheat.
find great many Eastern farmers through the
country here that claim kaiisas will never make
a wheat country, and that it is folly for men
to experiment on that branch Of agriculture. Now
disclaim any such theory. believe that Kansas
will make one of the best wheat growlug States
in the Union. She las got the syilfb is adapted
to the culture Of wheat. Second, she has got the
climate that is best adapted to the growth and
prosperity Of winter wheat, especially. II is not
GENERALLY known outside that when Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois were first settled, il was almost i'm
possible to raise wheat: but after years of expert
States, their lafors were rewarded in seeing these
States the finest wheat growing States in the
Union. The same can be said of Missouri, and
why NOT Of Kansas and Nebraska!
The objections alleged by these croakers, that
Kansas will never grow wheat, is the soil is too
light, and the grain may get ever SO good
start in the fall. the winter winds blow the soil
away from the roots and thus destroy the crop.
Other reasons equally fabulous are asserted, such
as the dry weather in the fall and the wet wea-
ther in the spring. and the chinfz bug in the
mer,-all Of which are calculated to impair the
crop more or less. Such objections as the above
all resorted too by such farmers as the follow
ing:
We have some farmers in this country who
think labor is capital but are very careful to not
iuScSt inutu VI tdpitdi sttCh III hiiu VI
a crop or anything else, that would pay them
handsome profit. Others say the summers are too
hot for harvesting purposes, and wheat won't pay.
Others will attempt to raise crop of wheat by
simply blowing mp the ground IN slip-shOd way,
then their wheat, by commencing at one cor
ner of the field and going round the whole, and SO
on until they finish up in the middle; all of which
is done without burrows or stakes to guide an
equal seeding of the land. The next thing DONE
is to about half harrow the ground; after this is
If Il.
should happen that crop is not secured after
such farming, the fault is all laid to the soil
climate, and not to the mode of farming While
the intelligent farmer will go to work, believing
that labor is capital and the best investment that
can be made of such capital is to invest in the
stock that will pay the best.
He therefore makes calculations on the profits
of the different kinds of farm products, and the
result of'his calculations will be in favor of the
culture of wheat. He win arrange his plans in
the following order:
LIST. He will plow his ground in July, or two
first weeks in August, being very careful to pillow
deep, SD AZ to give the wheat chance to get deep
root, which will prevent possibility of failure
of u crop, on account of dry weather or frost.
2nd. He commences putting in his wheat about
the 25th of August, SO that he can finish by the
first week of September. He first harrOws his
ground in good shape He then rolls it with
heavy roller, which leaves the ground in very
good condition for the drill, which is the best way
10 get the wheat ihto Siound. Ms IL itdNeS thc
surface all cut up into little burrows, that the
winds in the winter do not blow the soil fiom the
roots of the grain. But to the contrary, those fur
will be gradually filledu and by spring the
wheat has a good root, and the result is, large
and profitable crop is realized, and the farmer is
well paid for his investment.
The early May wheat is the hest for this cOun-
try, as it comes off before the hot weather COM
mcnces, consequently escapes the possibility of
rust, and gives the farmer chance to get his
wheat out Of the way while the weather is cool
and pleasant.