The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-04-15
Sowing Early.

A crying need of the day is early sowing
and planting There are failures sometimes,
or at least partial failures. We have heard
them reported, but we do.not know that we
have ever seen a decided case. We have
seen land put in badly, when wet and un-
drained, and bad results following; but these
results we expected to see. We have yet to
see land put in, ever SO early, when the
ground was dry and mellow and well drained
and the crop fail in consequence of being put
out early. Do farmers know that the spring
grains are in general tardy and will stand
good deal of cold, wet weather-not water to
drown them? A drained soil will pass off the
water as it falls, or nearly as fast. And what
then? There is only moisture, and air is ad-
mitted; and the land is seldom SO constantly
cold and wet that no progress of the seed is
made; and once begun it win stand good
deal, protected as it is by the soil. ~
Trust your land if it is drained, either nat
urally or otherwise, especially if there is con-
siderable fertility, and the soil is dry and mel
low at the time of sowing. Fertility has a
warming effect. At least this is our expert
ence and the experience of those around u.s.
Early grain is pretty sure to have a clean
stem and a plump berry. Late sowing, al
most as ru-e. has more or less of rust and
alighter berry. Sometimes later sowing
will yield the most straw This used to be
the case more than it is now. The droughts
have increased, and the straw grows less;
there is more heat in summer of late; early
sowing seems to yield the most heavily both
straw and grain, and both improved
And this improvement Is considerable.
The grain will weigh more, will feed better,
and command more in the market. If cut in
due time, when the berry is in the dough
which will further improve the berry-the
straw, which is yet somewhat green, will
have the quality and worth of ordinary hay.
Besides, eaIly sowing will be done when
there is little other work to do, making less to
do when the usual sowing time occurs. And,
a point of considerable importance, there
will not be that crowd when harvest comes.
The first sowing can be got out of they way
well by the time the next arrives, which is,
or should be, Immediately upon its heels.
Begin with the driest, and, if possible, the
best land; sow this. Sow it the first time it
gets dry enough, remembering always that
every rain that follows pelts it harder, and
the rains may put it off quite late. The first
mellow soil, left as the frost left it, is always
the mellowest.
Then you have the advantage also of put
ting out early grass seed or clover if you wish
to seed down. This cannot be put out early.
Potatoes are included here; you cannot
well get them out too early, especially the
Early Rose, which seems to thriv, in bad
weather, Outstripping all other sorts. That
is our experience. Plant deep as well as ear
ly, five or six inches at least, and let the
ground be rich, or, better use ashes and some
hen dung or guano or bone dust in the
hill. The early rose will bear forcing. Peas
also may be pnt out early, as well as oats, bar
ley and wheat. But corn wants the warm
weather to start it aud to keep it thriving.
IGE O. - in TItica Herald