Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-09-25
SnuSrille dGeskly Ghrnaifle.
FARM AND GARDEN.
CULTIVATION OF WHEAT.
Timely Hints upon the Subject-VaIue of
Drills.


The month of September will be 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 working blowing, and the
preparation of the ground for the seed bed
should now be attended to without delay,
if not already 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 atmos-
phere has a beneficial effect upon the land.
The best quality of land for wheat is n
very clayey loan, but there are other soils,
such as gTavels, sands and the like, upon
which wheat is constantly grown with
success but under all circumstances the
seed bed should be dry, and where not
naturally so, draining and ditching should
be resorted to. On all the inferior wheat
lands the crop is most subject to disease
and to injury from the depredations of in
sects, not having the power to outgrow
and overcome these enemies, and high
manuring and perfect cultivation are abb
solutely necessary to secure average crops
on these lands. Care mast 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 subie C.
from the pen of the most successful wheat
grower in New York are now in season.
He says that if clayed land is allowed to
became too dry it is not only hard to pillow,
but the work can not be so well done as it
can at the time that the land is just in the
right condition as to moisture. Practical
skill alone can decide as to the best time,
all things considered, to cultivate so as to
have labor expended in the INST judicious
manner.
Now, assuming that we have land that
has been well managed, one blowing 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
myld boards to the lands are necessary.
Co plete disintegration of the particles is
effected by just moving them on each 9TH
er, and it is not necessary to lift the fur
row slice high up,or move it far, to do this
the least breaking of the cohesion is suffi-
cent. The harrow follows to level the sur
face and more perfectly prepares the seed
bed.
1t may and often will happen that by
reasons of wet weather and bad manage
ment there will, in clay soils, be small
Jumps after the blowing and narrowing
have been done. In such case the roller
or clod-crusher must be used to reduce
these Jumps to powde.
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
oultivates the land far better than any bar
row. The drill spouts lift the surface soil
and throw it into ridges, that by falling
back cover the seed lightly at first, and
still deeper as the weather acts upon them
during the fall and winter, and following
spring, when alternate frosts and thaws
are to be expected. The rougher the drill
leaves the surface of the land the better,
but clayey lands in the fall, after the seed
is sown, should no be rolled
In fOrmor numbers we have given the
experience of Judge Watts, of the Agricul-
tural Bureau, as well as others, as to the
value of deep blowing and thorough pull
verifying of the soil for the wheat crop, and
we cannot too strongly impress it upon the
attention of the wheat-growe-, as we deem
it one of the most essential means of sue
cess. Although we will not say that good
blowing will be equal to an addition Of
fifteen bushels corn per acre to what the
land would otherwise yield las stated il
our last by Pennsylvania farmer as hi!
experience), still we have never entertain.
ed doubt that it is one of the prerequisite
of success to the crop, and if the sub-soi
pillow is used in connection with the com
mon pillow, it is equal to good dressing o
manure.