The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-08-30

The failure to reap remuncratiye crops o
Winterwheat on the prairics of the West doe
not lie in any organic difficulty in the soil
but almost entirely in the liability to Winter
killing, which on the old soils is the rule ant
notthG exception This is due to mechanical
alteration in the virgin soils, and the want o
drainage; therefore, any plan which will OBJ
viate this will, in just such degree, render
the soil again fit for this crop, rs it always il
in its natural state when first broken,
lfdranagc could be accomplished before
the soil, through repeated blowing when toe
wet, had lost its porosity, there is no reason
why it should not continue to raise crops o.
wheat 50 long as its fertility remained. Tht
! fact that the arenaceOus or sandy soils DO sc
continue to produce good crops, is sufficient
proof that the want of drainage is the pri
mary disability. TO point out some of the
methods OF obviatlng this difficulty is the OBJ
ject of this article.
! 1t has been heretofore stated in the Western
| Rural that the soil might be brought back, tC
a certain degree, to its former condition by
allowing the land to lie for so many years il
pasture or meadow; if good clover sod can
be turned over and thoroughly prepared fol
the seed leaving the drainage open through
the dead burrows wheat will Winter all right
unless the season be an exceptional one.
Where the seeding is to be done on old
land, following other crops on tallow, the
land should be plowed in such way as will
enable the dead burrows to most easily and
quickly carry of the SuperiluouS water; in
which case, if the seed be sOwn early enough
to ensure a good root, and surface drainage
be kept open between the dead burrows and
the low places in the field, the freezing out
will not be excessive In blowing, the width
Of the land must be governed by the lie of the
land, but, in any case, they should not be
more than four rods wide, and, if the soil be
adhesive and level, two rods Is better.
The dead burrows should not be seeded, but
should be cleaned out thoroughly, so as to
leave the water way perfectly free after the
seed has been covered One of the best plans
for accomplishing this is by means of large
and strong shovel pillow, with wings passed
both ways in the dead burrows, and drawn by
a strong, slow, steady horse. If these direc-
tons be carried out, there is no reason why
Winter wheat should not take its regular
place in the rotation of prairie farms.
Again, where wheat is to be sown among
growing corn, the same plan of blowing in
land should have been adopted and after
sowing and covering with double shovel
pillow, or one of the implements made cSpeCi.
tally for seeding in such fields, the burrows
may Dc oleHcu III lilt way HclciOlolc iHuICu-
ted, but after the corn has been husked on
the hill, we should much prefer losing the
fodder to allowing cattle to feed thereon I'M
less it be at a time when the soil is dry and
unfrozcn, or the earth covered with snow.
Next to allowing the soil to be poaChed when
wet, we consider the slipping Of the hoofs Of
cattle and horses on the frozen, or worse, par
TALLY thawcd soil, crushing and breaking the
crowns of the plants, to be most injurious. II
the stalks can be left on, in the Spring, until
the ground be settled and the wheat have
made some growth so much the better, since
they will protect the plants from the freezing
and hawing so detrimental during the early
Spring 1.-THE stalks when cut be allowed to
lie ON the ground, they will be no hindrancc
to the harvesting Of the crop, since the har
vestcrs will pass at such height that the re
mains will not discommodc the reaper to
any serious VeStelm RniH.