Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-05

furroW slice high up, or move II lar, 10 dC
this; the least breaking of the cohesion i:
sufficient. The harrow follows to level the
smfaoe and more perfectly prepare the seed
bed.
1t may and often will happen that by
reason of wet weather and management
there will, in clay soils, be small Jumps at.
ter the blowing and narrowing have beer
done. In such a case the roller or clod
crusher must be used to reduce these humps
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 Gull
| tivates the land far better than any harrow.
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 dur
| ing 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
c!ayey land in the fall, after the seed is
sown, should not be rolled.
In former 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
verizing of the soil for the wheat crop, and
we cannot too strongly impress it upon the
attention Of the wheat grower, 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 fif-
teen bushels of corn per acre to what the
land would otherwise yield Gas stated in
our last by Pennsylvania farmer as his ex-
perience), still we have never entertained s
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
plow, it is equal to a good dressing of ma
nure.
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 manures you may intend to pur-
chase for your crop. Among the new vari-
cites Of wheat of late years introduced we
find in the report of the Agricultural Bu-
reau, just issued, several varieties which
have been found to be very successful,
among them the Fultz, originally Introduced
10 Pennsylvania, the Tappahannock, the
Diehl, the Walker, the Boughton, etc.
Whilst we would not recommend any ex-
penditure at an undue high price, still we
think it exceedingly advantageous to change
the seed at least every second year, and if
you can do no better, effect an exchange
with some of your neighbors. Seed wheat
should be gotten cut with the fail.
When the machine is used many of the
grains are cut, and the germina-
ton is rendered doubtful. The
cleaning of the wheat from all i'm
purities, as far as possible, should be at
tended to previous to sowing; a strong
brine should be made of salt and soft wa
ter, and in 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 re-
peated in another clean brine. when it
may be taken out and intimately mixed
with one-twelfth its bulk of fresh,
pulvarized quick lime. This kills all
smut, cleans out weeds from the grain,
and insures 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 peryent smut, though
the first is most certain. In England the
use of sulphate of copper is the most pre-
valent mode Of preparing seed wheat as
preventive of the smut, one pound
dissolved in as much water as
will thoroughly wet the grain being suffi-
Gent 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, l! to II
bushels, or two bushels if broadcast. Whilst
John johnson, of New York, approves of
II bushels seed to the acre, Mr.. Mech,
equally or more celebrated as farmer in
England, advocates smaller quantity, and
the tendency in both countries is rather to
the smaller amount of seed than is usually
sown. A very nice experiment, however,
was made last year by Prof 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
pccks to two bushels, the weight of grain
was, in proportion to the amount sown, in
favor of the largest quantity sown; for in
stance:
Three fourths of bushel of seed to the
acre produced 263 TBS. grain, or 1853 bush
els, or 800 TBS. straw and grain.
One bushel produced 297a lbs, 1888
bushels, or 800 TBS. grain and straw.
One and a fourth bushels produced 1921
TBS, 22.lS bushels, or l, lac TBS. grain and
straw.
One and half bushels produced $685.
TBS, 26.16 bushels, and 1884 TBS. grain and
straw.
2 bushels produced 1851 lbs, 3Ob bush
els, and ], Alp lbs. grain and straw.
On the plot where L bushels were sown
a local cause gave an unfair result; in each
instance the weight per bushel was 90 lbs
or more, the highest being in the plot
where bushels of seed were sown, which
was 60B lbs.
The seed should be sown not less than
two nor more than three inches deep, and
as a general rule we believe that from the
18th September to the 18th October is the
most available time to SOW. An Observant
farmer of this State thinks that wheat sown
before the 18th September will escape the
rust, but will be subject to the averages of
the fly. Some good farmers pre-
fer to SOW only after frost, at
the safest means to avoid the raw
ages of the fly. The drill is undoubtedly |
the most advantageous mode of putting in |
the seed. Mr.. Geo. Geddes, of New York, |
well known to the agricultural public as a |
wheat grower, says that the drill is a most |
farm implement to the raiser Of |
winter wheat, planting all the seed to
uniform depth, and raising barrier to pro-
tect feeble plants from winter killing. But |
these barriers must be left until the try
ing period has passed in the spring, then the
roller should be used for the double purpose |
Of leveling the ground, so that the reaper
will move smoothly over ii in time of har
vest, and for the further object of breaking
and crushing the surface soil after the rains
and frosts of early spring are passed. This
rolling, if done at the right time, is ofgreat
value to the young wheat, assists material
ly in covering the clover seed, but it must |
not be done until after the clover seed Las
been sown.
In sections of country that are subject 10