The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-09-14
Wheat Culture and It's Enemies.

Wheat culture is the most impor-
tanJ Of all agricultural products, and
has more influence upon tho world
than any other. Wheat is the staple
for bread, and the progress of civili-
cation and intellectual culture can
be traced by the extent Of Its growth
and consumption.
Over 2O0,000,000 bushels of wheat
are annually raised in this country,
and We have the soil and machinery
for an almost unlimited expansion
Of the product. The best soils for
wheat are the clays, clay ond lime,
clay and sand, clay and loan. There
must be clay for a succession Of
good crops, Muck or vegetable de-
post is not adapted to wheat culture,
because it produces large wheat
stalks, and but little or no grain.
Undertaking will do more to
promote the growth Of wheat, on
most soils, than any inc thing. Clay
contains the food for the wheat plant,
but it Is also the most rctcntivc of
water, and an excess of water is
death to the winter wheat. After
drainage of a heavy clay soil a few
hundred bushels per acre of sand
completes the work Of Improvement,
and such o soil can be made always
to yield rcmuncrativc crops. A pure
sand cannot be made a rcmuncrative
wheat soil. Clay can always be made
so by the application Of sand, lime,
wood-ashcs aud barnyard manure.
Both early and late sowing have
their advocates. If there were no
Hessian ay in the land, the last of
August would be the best time to
SOW wheat in the Northern States,
but early sown wheat is liable to be
destroyed by this pest. AS il is, proba-
bly, the best time would be about the
middle of September, especially il
a sharp frost occurs before that time.
Rich, mellow, well prepared soil may
be sown later than its opposite.
There is a great gain in frequent
plowings and the use of u c%ultivator
before sowing.
The selection of seed for wheat is
as important as the selection of
stock for breeding. Seed wheat
should be sown separately, harvested
separately, threshed separately, and
kept separately for this special pur-
pose. The wheat crop can be in
creased from fifty to one hun
drcd per cent. by attention to this
subject. In sowing ten acres of
wheat, select one acre Of the best
land, give it special attention, SOW
ashes, plaster, salt and lime mixed
together upon it; add a few loads of
rich compost, give it extra cultiva-
ton, sow pure wheat, and while
growing 20 through it often and pull
out all foreign stuff. 1t should be
well ripencd when cut, and not
thrcshcd with Il machine nor allowed
to heat in q bin.
Smut is a great enemy of the wheat
crop, and the only help for it is
brining the seed. Rust is also
ono of the enemies the wheat grower
is obliged to encounter. The cause
is found in the condition of the soil,
and damp, warm weather. The dis
ease occurs to the greatest extent on
soils deficient in silicatcs, which arc
needed to give stiffness and strength
to the straw, and Astounding in vcgc-
table and animal deposits, which give
II rapid growth to the plant. Wet,
warm weather sets in, the cells of
the stalk burst, the juices run out
and the grain receives but little
nourishmcnt, the wheat is shrunkcn
and nearly useless. The preventive
of this disease is the application, at
the time of sowing, Of sand, wood
ashes or potash and lime.
The wheat point louise is sometimes
abundant on all the ears of wheat in
u field, sucking the juices and i'm
poycrishing the grain. The nudge
or red weaycl, by its dcpredations,
is the cause ofthe failure of the wheat
crop in some sections, by causing
the abortion of many Of the grains
in the heads attacked by it. The
IIcssian fly makes an attack upon
particular districts. The young fall
wheat attacked by these maggots
withors next spring, and death is
caused by the loss of its juices. The
only preventive is good seed, high
culture and the application of ashes
and limc.--Natioaot Agyicultnrist.