The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-09-09
Ghe Sarmrr.
Improved Method Of Wheat Culture.

Nj Heiges, of York, York county, Penn
sylvania, under date Of May 20, 1876,
says:
In reply to yours Of the 18th inst,
requesting me to give you an article on
the aprinciple" | have adopted in wheat
culture, and its results, | would say |
commenced farming about eight years ago.
Nv success in raising wheat was not salts
factory, and as did not believe in seeding
with drill, scored my ground with
shovel plow, sowed it broad cast and har-
rowed IN. thought my wheat looked
much better than adjoining fields sown
with the drill still not being satisfied, and
believing that | could not raise crop of
corn or potatoes without cultivating, /
asked myself the question: Would it not
pay to cultivate wheat the same as corn
In the summer Of 1872 l MANFRED about
three acres of ground, plowed it down
about the 10th Of August, and let lie
until about the Goth Of September, when
| plowed it the second time and narrowed
well. then measured of sixth Of an
acre, and used common hoe to make
scores about five inches wide, and as nearly
level on the bottom as they could be made.
left space Of about six inches wide
between the scores. | sowed on my plot
eight quarts Of Fultz wheat on the 18th
Of September, and raked it in. In the
Spring Of 1873 / hoed the spaces between
the wheat once in April and once the first
week Of May. Sowed to clover after the
last hoeing, and had fine crop of clover
When the wheat came into heads, / found
them much larger than those Of the same
variety sowed the same day on adjoining
ground Of the same kind Of soil, and the
whole treated alike as to manuring and
ploughing. l harvested and thrashed
from the plot little over eight bushels,
or nearly double the amount per acre pro-
duced on the remainder Of the field l
always plow twice for wheat and very
deep.
In the fall Of 1873 sowed all my
wheat on the same principle, but making
my scores with double mould board
cultivator) about eight inches wide, sowed
broadcast and narrowed lengthWise once,
then dragged to level the ground. In the
spring Of 1874 cultivated q plot of one
acre. | hoed part Of the plot once, part
twice, and the remainder three times.
On the part hoed once the heads were
about one-eighth larger than where / did
not hoe; on the part hoed twice they were
still larger; and on the plot hoed three
times they were larger yet, some of them
measuring nearly six inches in length,
and satisfying me that it pays to hoe three
times. The yield from the crop cultivated
was 80 bushels per acre from the remain
der Of the field about % bushels per acre.
OF course did not SOW the plot hoed to
grass. The remainder of the field was
sowed with timothy and clover.
In the fall Of 1874 Iagaiu put My crop
in on the same principle. Some of it /
left without spring cultivation. / found
that the heads of that which / did not
cultivate was much larger than the heads
Of the same variety put in with the drill,
but not anything in comparison with the
heads on the ground which | cultivated |
| have lot Of ground containing 20 square
yards less than the third ofan acre-on
which sowed Is quarts Of new variety
ofwheat, which | had made BY eross-fer-
tilizations, using as the parents Arnold's
hybrid No. 8 and Fultz, the former being
white wheat, stiff straw, and the latter
red wheat The yield from this lot was
16l bushels, or about 49i bushels per acre.
Gave it only one hoeing in the Spring
Of 1875. In the fall Of 1874 procured
ono pound Of seed Of wheat imported
from one Of the German States, some per-
son having brought It with him from
Germany. paid for the pound 81 SOW
ed it on the ffty-sixth part Of an acre.
hoed it once in April, again on the Sd
Of June, and cut and thrashed from the
product one bushel and 81 quarts, or at
the rate of II bushels per acre. had
the plot measured by Two Of the managers
and in the presence Of the president and
secretary Of the York Couty Agricultural
Society. have now about six acres Of
wheat growing put out in the same way,
except that last fall / made the scores IL
inches wide, left the spaces for cultivafing
10 inches wide, thereby utilizing more
ground than heretofore, aud using the
same space for cultivation. NV wheat
this summer looks much better than any
former year at this time / am well sat
isfied that the advantages are, more space
occupied, mora free circulation Of the
air, opening up the soil to air and warmth
when the plant seems 70 need such inilu-
ences, the growing Of the wheat IN larger
masses, 50 that 1t i more difficult for The
frost TO uproot il, and the better setting Of
she plant # lifted BY the frost. II also
seems % me that Il protects Itself better
than when soWed with the drill. You can
form much more correct idea Of il when
yoe see the wheat growing. As I said
before, Isov broadcast, and harrow length
wise and nearly al that fails on the ridges
rolls down into the scores BY narrowing.
The extra cost of putting In wheat n
this way, aud Of eultiratine il. over The
cost Of drilling il, do not think would
reach " per acre, though have not kept
an accurate account.
1 have now given you, as yearly as /
can, on paper, the principle and results Of
ny experiments in wheat culture for the
hst few years These experiments have
convinced nc TINT The new method Is more
saece2ful 10 insurihga crop than any other.
The English wheat yield VIII lie less
than a. arefase and probably not larrer
than thst of 1875. This result j disssp-
pointing However, The quaIi,y 4 fine
and BE weight heavy New barley 4
satisfactory Several Important country
markets note IN advance of enc "a Two
shilliugs for new English wheat, while
prices from abrosd offer DO margin t. nm
rosters. The London market has been
somewhat Grmer, but there has been 10
lmportaat change of quotations. The d.
msnd has toen mostly for consumption
Specnlatcrs are HflI holding Of.
Tho biggest corn story ef the season
comes from III Carmel. IN, whore & 10
asseszad on lho iafmof William Johnston.
- i 41.I|- 49,. Al \