Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-10-14
W heat After Wheat.

On all new land, and everywhere in the
wheat growing sections of this country
when first settled, the growing of wheat
after wheat was the common practice.
This was partly a necessity, for in early
days wheat was often the only crop which
would bring a cash price, and even now
it is almost always the crop that best bears
the cost of transportation, owing to its
higher price per buShel. For a time this
severe cropping did not seem 10 injure the
soil or seriously impair its fertility,
There would, occasionally, be a poor
crop, but this was attributed To cold or
wet or drought, rather than poverty of
soil But it soon began To be noticed that
these accidents Of the season occurred
more and more frequently, until finally
only with perfect weather throughout
could a crop be assured. OF late years,
in the older.scttled parts of the country,
wheat is very rarely grown after wheat,
and in many places there Is almost SUI
perstitious objection To this method of
cropping Yet, rs successive crops of
wheat have been and ore grown on new
land, il is evident that the difficulty is not
the practice itself, but in the condition of
the soil. Make the soil rich enough, and
second or even third crop of wheat
may be grown, and the last be ms good
~ the first We have often known the
second crop to he better where the first
was sown ON newlyturned sod, which
will be in much better condition for the
second crop than for the first, As for the
exhaustion of fertility, two crops of wheat
in succession are certainly no worse than
the common rotation of corn or potatoes,
followed by oats or barley, and that by
wheat A wheat Stubble is no worse than
oats or barley, and we incline 10 think il
rather better, especially if plowed as soon
rs the crop is harvested. Either way we
have two grain crops in succession, and
our experience is that wheat is not SO eN-
hauStiyp as oats
We DO not advocate sowing wheat
after wheat as a general practice, but
there are some occasions when il seems
advisable and others where ii may be
provided for. II the clover catch has en-
lircly failed it is better to plow and re-seed
with wheat than to leave the field till
spring to be Sown with oats or barley. and
then with wheat year later. Ii is bet
Ter than to have the field barren year TO
I'LL with weeds, rs such fields are sure to
do. With very little manure as top
dressing, or some commercial fertilizer
drilled in with the seed, wheat after
wheat is one of the most certain OF crops,
and there i an absolute certainty of
good catch of clover
There is one place where two crops Of
wheat ought always to DC taken, and that
is after heavy growth of clover has been
plowed under and the field Summer-fal-
lowed This preparation is the very best
for wheat: but il is too costly 10 be afford
cd for one crop. and there is further diff
ticultv in getting q good growth OF clover
on such land. Unless the season is very
favorable for clover there will not be half
a catch, and in dry seasons the Held after
harvest will he almost bare. The result
will De that the next wear the weeds Will
have free course, and till the soil with
seeds as badly Is before il was fallowed
One chief use of Summertallow i 10
make the land clear; and where the clover
fails this advantage is entirely neuUalized.
Our way with such fields is to not SOW
clover.seed on clover ley. for il viii be a
waste of seed. but turn under the stubhle
Immediately after harvest, Il; the land a
well as possible and drill in 200 pounds or
SuperuhosphSte per acre with the wheat,
using As much barn yard manure a. top
dressing a. we can obtain. Next spring
seed heavily with clover, and Il will grow
in such mat IS 10 entirely eradicate the
weeds. In this way The costly summer