Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-10-18
Wheat--GrOWing.

MANY farmers at the West are discOur.
aged in attempting to make wheat-grow
ing as profitable as other grain crops, and
| have abandoned this branch of husbandry,
| The reason of this discouragement arises
chiefly from the failure to grow wheat
with the indifferent management pTactis-
ed when the country was comparatively
new and the soil in its primitive state.
We have raised this grain with heavy
| yield by simply narrowing the seed into
the surface soil without ploughing at ALL
among the stumps on newly cleared land,
and have also raised heavy crops upon
old worn land during the past few years,
but the difference in management was
very dissimilar.
Those who get good crops of wheat
upon old land have got to labor for it, but
the improved facilities for harvesting and
the increased value of the grain make the
crop, with right treatment, as profitable
to-day as it ever has been.
In the first place, soil rightly adapted
| as to position and condition must be
selected; second, use good seed; third,
well put in; and fourth, thoroughly drain.
ed. The lay of land is very important; it
is best where lying high, and shielded on
the north or west side by woods; if on
both of these sides, all the better, as the
forest gives winter protection in prevent
ing snow from being blown Off and drifted
up. The field also should be so situated
that complete surface drainage may be
| given, for wherever a pool of water is
allowed to stand for few days, there
will be bare spot at harvest time.
More fields of wheat are injured by
frost than by insect, and to contend
with this element successfully extra care
Igl has rafg 4 10 Ill I,
lished fact that when this grain is put in
with the drill, it stands the winter much
better than when sown broadcast. 1t has
further been proved that when mulched
in early winter with q sprinkling of straw
the roots are protected to great extent,
not from the light coating of straw alone,
but this coating retains the snow, and dur
ing many trying days blankets the field
and securely shields it,
AS to manure for wheat VIC have never
found any so good as that from the sheep
shed; this we put on the surface before
narrowing in the grain. A piece of land
once came into our possession that had
been under the plow for twenty years
and was considered almost worthless.
This was plowed up in the fall about
seven inches deep, and being heavy clay,
the work required four horses; it lay in
large Jumps curing lne winter, DuI
through the action of the frost, the most
of themslacked down inthe spring, when
good coat of manure was put upon it
and turned under. During the summer
we gave it one or two good workings
with The cultivator, and in August threw
it up with ridges with a single horse plow,
and about the Goth of September gave a
sprinkling of sheep manure and sowed
one bushel and peck of red wheat per
acre. From the piece we harvested thir'
ty-two bushels per acre of clean, plump
wheat. The piece was then stocked
down and has since produced heavy crops
of grass.
Mr. r. A. Hunt, of Euclid, Ohio, tells
us that he has made some experiments in
the use of plaster and ashes upon wheat
land, and has had the best success in the
use of these fertilizers. Mr.. Hunt, on the
25th day of September last, sowed some
wheat on corn land, and cultivated the
same III without blowing, and en- every
other plow-land of this piece he put un
leacbed ashes at the rate of thirty-fvC
bushels per acre, and the wheat upot
these lands ripened three days earlier
than that upon the Others, and gave {
Yield Of one'Ehlrd more grain, Now TILL