The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-09-27
CULTIVATION OF WHEAT.
Timely HINTS upon the Subject
Valne Of Dr1lls,

CULI1tAIlON VI WHEAT.
Hints upon the Subject
valne Of Drills.
Tie month of September will be a
busy one to the wheat growers, as the
most Of them by the end of the month,
and up to the middle of October, get
their seeding done. The work of
blowing, and the preparation of the
ground for the seed bed, should now be
attended to without delay, if not al
ready done, and the earlier the better,
for We believe most observant farmers
admit that the longer in reason the
ground is broken up before seeding,
the better it is for the crop. The at
mosphere has beneficial effect upon
the land. The best quality of land for
wheat is clayey loan, but there are
other soils, such as gravels, sands, and
the like, upon which wheat is con-
stantly grown with success; but under
all circumstances the seed-bed should
be dry, and where not naturally so,
draining and ditchiug should be re-
sorted to. On all the inferior wheat
lands the crop is most subject to dis
ease and to injury from the depreda-
to outgrOw and overcome these enc
mics, and high manuring and perfect
cultivation ale absolutely necessary to
secure average crops on these lands.
Care must be taken that the land for
wheat is not plowed when too wet, and
the more perfect the drainage the
sooner will the excess of water pass
away, and then comes the time for the
careful farmer to till his land.
The following hints upon this sub
ject from the pen of the most success
ful wheat-grower in New York are
now in season. He says that if clayed
land is allowed to become too dry il is
not only too hard to pillow, but the
work cannot be so well done as it can
at the time that the land is just in the
right condition as to moisture. Prac-
tical skill alone can decide as to the
best time, all things considered, to cul-
tivate so as to have labor expended in
the most iudicious manner.
Now, assuming that we have land
that has been well managed, one plow-
ing will completely pulverize it, if this
blowing is done at the right time and
in the most skillful manner. Narrow
burrows made by plows just adapted in
the shape of their mould boards to the
land are necessary. Complete disin-
tegration of the particles effected by
just moving them on each other, and
it is not necessary to lift the furrow
slice highup, or move it far, to do this
the least breaking of the cohesion is
sufficient. The harrow follows to level
the surface and more perfectly prepare
the seed bed.
1t may and often will happen that
by reason of wet weather and bad
management there will, in clay soils,
narrowing have been done. In such a
case the roller or clOd- crusher must be
used to reduce these Jumps TO powder.
Next comes the drill to sow the seed
in. A good drill following the roller
not only Sows the seed in the best
manner, but it cultivates the land far
better than any harrow. The drill
spouts lift the surface soil and throw il
into ridges, that by falling back cover
the seed lightly at first, and still deep
er as the weather acts upon them dur
ing the fall and winter, and following
spring, when alternate frosts and
tnaws are TO be expected. The rOugheI
tie drill leaves The surface of the land
the better, but clayey lands in the fall,
after the seed is sown, should be rolled.
In former numbers we have given
the experience of Judge Watts, of the
Agricultural Bureau, as well as others,
as TO the value of deep blowing and q
thorough pulverizing of the soil for
the wheat crop, and we cannot toe
strongly impress it upon the attention
of the wheat-grOwer, as we deem il
one of the most essential means of sue
cess. Although we will not say that a
good blowing will be equal to an adj
ditiOn of fifteen bushels corn per acre
to what the land would otherwise
yield las stated in our last by Penn
sylvania farmer as his experience still
we have never entertained doubt
that it is one of the prerequisites OF
success to the crop, and if the sub-soil
plow is used in connection with the
common pillow, it is equal to good
dressing of manure.
The blowing done, the next thing is
to secure seed for the crop, and at the
same time to make preparation to have
on hand in time the manure5 you may
inteLd TO purchase for your crop.
| Among the new varieties of wheat OF
late yea rs introduced we find i'm the Re-
port of the Agricultural Bureau, just
issued, several varieties which have
been found to he very successful,
among them the Fultz, originally in
troduced in Pennsylvania. the Tap
pahannock, the Diehl, the Walker, the
Broughton, &c. Whilst we would not
recommend any expenditure at an I'M
due high price, still we think it ex.
ceedingly advantageous to change the
seed at least every second year, and il
you cen do no better, effect an eX-
change with some of your neighbors.
Seed wheat should be cotton out with
the fail. When the machine is used
many of the grains are cut, and the
termination is rendered doubtful. The
cleansing of the wheat from all inn
purities, as far as possible, should be
attended to previous to sowing; a
strong brine should be made of salt and
soft water, and i'm this the grain should
be washed for five minutes, taking
care to skim off all the light and
foreign seeds. If the grain be smutty,
this washing should be repeated in
another clean brine, when it may be
taken out and intimately mixed with
One-twelth its bulk of fresh, pulverized
quick-lime. This kills all smut, cleans
out all weeds from the grain, and in
sures early, rapid growth. When the
seed is not smutty it may be prepared
by soaking or sprinkling it with stale
urine, and afterwards mix with the
lime, and if well done this also will
prevent smut, though the first is most
certain. In England the use of sui
phate of copper is the most prevalent
mode of preparing seed wheat as a
preventive of the smut, one pound dis
solved, i'm as much water as will
thoroughly wet the grain being suffi-
cient for four bushels of wheat. AS
soon as it is dry it can be sown. The
quantity of seed TO the acre is, by the
drill, II to II bushels. or two bushels il
broadcast. Whilst John Johnson, OF
New York, approves of bushels seed
TO the acre, Mr.. Mechi, equally or more
celebrated as farmer in England, adj
vocates smaller quantity, and the
tendency i'm both countries is rather 10
the smaller amount of seed than is
usually sown. A very nice expert
ment, however, was made last year by
Professor Daniels, of the University OF
Wisconsin Experimental Farm, to test
this question, by which it was found in
six plots of seed sown, from three
pecks to two bushels, the weight OF
1 Il