Omaha daily bee., 1874-07-09
Southwestern NEBRASKA.
immigration and Crops.

iCorrespondence Of TIKI BEEF
LINCOLN, July Z, 1874.
EDITOR OMAHA BEE:
Having spent the last month in
Saline, Lancaster and Seward
counties, 1 find the Improvements
have been more rapid than ever
before; many new farms have been
opened, end more breaking done
than the three previous years.
Railroad LANDS, which have been
plenty, is now scarce, IL but
little remains 20 be disposed of.
Immigration has been continually
pouring in. and generally OF a better
class, financially, who are able to
improve their farms, with all the
modern comforts of a -estern life.
NJ sre acres of wheat have been
put 1 n this year than ever before; it
is the main crop for the farmers, and
O time and interest is devoted to
collecting good seed and sowing it;
many new experiments have been
tried, which will doubtless prove
profitable.
The bottom lands will not prove
80 successful this year, owing to the
heavy rains in May, which drowned
out the wheat and soalded 1t, hence
making it very uneven, and in
MANY places a failure.
The up or table lands will prove
most successful, as the ground soon
dried out. and the wheat was more
even,a and had a chance to grow tall
err and ill much better.
Having occasion to examine many
fields of wheat, of the several kinds
planted in Nebraska, / will give a
brief statement Of increase of yield.
On examining closely l found one
grain to produce from five to fifteen
stalks, one 1 noticed with twenty
one, one twenty-seven, and one
thirty-one, all with average heads,
and the average shock would con-
tain ABOUT thirty grains. The best
wheat l have cen this season was
south Of Pleasant Hill, Saline
county, and had only one bushel to
the acre. The stalks were large,
even and good heads. 1t is a mis-
taken idea to put so much small
grain to the acre, it can be too thick
like corn, and when it is the grain
will not be SO plump, and with such
large heads. The best and most
successful farmers prepare their soil
well, and drill their wheat; it will
do better to plant deep.
There will not be an average crop
of oats this year. The fore part of
the season was too wet, and then
the continued dry weather will cut
short the crop, which is very short
and scalded. Uplands produced bet
ter for all kinds of grain.
The corn crop Is a good aver
age for the first of July, and gen.
orally looks well. On the table
lands, it Is MUCH cleaner, and APP
pears more thrifty, as it has been
better cultivated. During the wet
season, the low lands or Level lands
could not be plowed, hence the
weeds got q good start, and as
many formers are very greedy, they
will undertake to do more than they
are able, hence neglect the crops
when they need attention.
The crop of potatoes planted is
immense, which has been troubled
much with bugs and in many places
they have been ruined. Otherwise,
if seasonable, the crop will be i'm
mense.
There has not been a time in the
psf four years when corn and oats
have been as scarce as ut present.
Very few farmers have any, and
those who have none are not able to
buy. They will look well to their
wants for the coming year, and will,
if seasOnahle, De the better able TO
raise a crop next year.
The dry weather has already In
jured the crops, and unless we have
rain soon they will be short.
ADD