Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-10-27
asrienl tnral.
Wheat in Reading. VI.

Ihave been reaping the past week for
my neighbor, Rufus Stearns. He has
raised wheat for twenty years, and he as
sures me that he has not had single
failure in this crop during that time
He estimates the yearly average as high
as twenty-five bushels per acre. Until
about three years past he has occupied a
hill farm, near the old centre brick church
in this town, Reading. He now lives on
the old sworn out meadow land border
ing ON Mill Brook. Here he has raised
three beautiful crops of wheat, on land on
which farmers generally abandoned wheat
raising about thirty years ago. Mr..
Stearns tells me that he raised one year
on The hill farm forty-fve bushels of
wheat ON seven-eighths OF an acre. This
year on Just about the same area of in
tervale land he has 694 sheaves, double
band, and he estimates the yield equal to
thirty bushels.
His practice is to turn over sward land
in the spring, manure literally in the bill
for corn, if he has not enough to spread,
and after harvesting the corn, ploughs in
the fall. La the spring, as early as the
season will allow, he ploughs again and
spreads on only about seven one.horse
cart loads of manure per acre, eight to
ten bushels of refuse lime. This he Oh,
tains at the lme-kiln at ten cents per
bushel, then slakes it dry, adds what ash
es he has, and broadcasts it at the time
of sowing the wheat, and harrows it all
in together. The secret of his uniform
success in wheat raising on hill and in
tervale consists, he thinks, largely in the
use of lime.
Another neighbor, Mr.. Jarvis Pratt, a
very thorough hill farmer, has kept up
the practice of raising wheat every year,
but some of his later crops have been
rather poor. He has not used lime
There are but few other farmers who
have raised wheat in this neighborhood
for many years.
| have spoken of the secret of Mr..
Stearns' success with this crop This
however, is not a proper word to use, as
he has no secret; but tells us all, that we
can raise wheat as well as he if we will
follow his practice. every step of which
he is ever ready to explain and illustrate.
With the advice and example of these
two neighbors, whose farms adjoin that
of my own, ! was induced to try about
an acre and quarter of my hill land
near Mr.. Pratt's, with winter wheat, last
fall, as have been in the practice Of
seeding in the fall, believing that the oat
crop with which many seed their grass
fields is hard one for both the land and
for the young grass. Mr.. Stearns esti
mates my harvest at thirty bushels
though Iapplied no manure, lime or ash.
es to the crop. 1t should be remarked
however, that the present season has been
unusually favorable to wheat.
The success of Mr.. Stearns FOR the
past three seasons in raising wheat on
his intervale land has been such that |
shall try small piece on similar land,
separated from his by the highway only,
notwithstanding the general opinion OF
the meadow farmers that they cannot
raise wheat.
Perhaps | should say that Mr.. Stearns
obtained his seed from Canada. He or
dered bald variety, but it proves mix
ture; part oald, part bearded Ienclose
an ear of EACH also two ears from my
field. THOMAS s. FLETCHER.
Felchville, VT, Aug. Is, 1871.
REMARKS. -Four well-flled heads of
wheat were received, measuring from 81
to AZ inches. The berry is plump.-N.
e. Farmer.