Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-09-16
A Few Things Settled.

II Is very QlTncult 10 settle principles IN
agriculture, or rules for practice, for when
farmers have pretty generally agreed that
certain methods are the best, generally or
always producing the best results, some
one VIII start up and declare that he al
ways fails whenever he pursues that course
liz is very difficult TO devise methods that
VIII answer in all cases, that will be ap-
pllcable to all soils, climates and condi-
tons, and yet there are some things so
we'll settled by the experiences of our most
intelligent and successful agriculturists,
repeated through many years on different
soils and in different localities, that we
feel warranted in commencing them to
general practice
One of these things which we consider
pretty we'll settled is the policy of plow-
ing land but once for wheat 1t used to
be considered very impOrtantto pillow sum-
mer fallows two, three and sometimes
four times for wheat If sod ground was
to be broken, instead of waiting for the
grass to get up to good height and plow-
! ing under good growth of stem as well
as roots, farmers commenced breaking as
early as possible in June, while cattle or
sheep were turned on to crop all the grass
that might start before the sod was invert-
ed, that nothing might be lost.
To keep down the grass and weeds that
started on the fallow, sheep and the har-
row were the main dependence. After
harvest the second blowing commenced,
and the sod was turned up again before it
was fairly rOtted, the harrow being relied
on to tear the partially-rotted turf in
pieces. Then followed the third blowing,
and soon after the fourth, if the fallOw re-
ceived so many. All this was expensive,
although less so than it would be now, for
time was less valuable; but it was consid-
cred necessary to form a fine, deep, mel
low seed-bed for the wheat.
Now, the course approved by our best
farmers is to let the grass or clover get its
full growth, and then turn it under, or
else NOV it; and after the aftermath has
made good growth, turn that under.
! That grass or clover is left undisturbed by
pillow or other implement until the wheat
| is harvested and it becomes advisable to
pillow the land for another crop.
Instead of trying to make the soil mel
low to the entire depth of the first blowing
many of our best wheat husbandmen pre-
fer to have the under three or four inches
become somewhat compacted, while aim
ing to make the upper three or four inches
fine and mellow. Some argue that if the
surface is kept mellow, and it becomes
| compact underneath, the wheat will form
it's fall roots near the surface, and in the
heaving of the upper crust by frost, and
the subsistence in thawing, the roots will
rise and fall with the crust and remain un-
I injured; whereas if the bed is mellow the
entire depth, the roots will strike deeper
in fall, and the heavings of the surface will
break the roots in twain
| To mellow the surface they depend
mainly upon the wheel cultivator, the
harrow and in some cases the gang plow
| With these implements, covering several
times as much surface as the pillow, they
can cultivate their fallOws until they are
clean and mellow. If they wish to apply
dressing of barnyard manure they can
do so when the soil is in good, filth, and
partially mix the manure with the surface
by means of the harrow
If wheat is sown on stubble instead
of fallOw ground, the stubble is cultivated
quite shallow, Immediately after harvest,
to cover the scattering grain and promote
its germination and then, when the grain
has come up and made little growth it
is turned under to good depth, and the
surface cultivated afterward the same as
a summer-fallOw. We think that this
course is pretty we'll agreed upon among
good farmers, and would only be departed
from in exceptional cases.
Another principle which we consider
settled is the expediency of sowing tim
othy seed with the wheat in the fall. BY
so doing you almost insure catch of the
seed, and such a growth of the grass the
next summer as to almost smother and
crowd out weeds, whereas if the seed is
not sown until spring there is about an even
chance Of its failing entirely; or if it sue
| ceeds it has desperate contest with weeds
for the possession of the soil. These two
things we may then consider settled: that
land should receive but one deep blowing
for wheat, and that timothy seed should
be sown in the fall; and that is enough
for one day.~-Anaerican RatraJ Home.