The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-10-13
Wheat and GrnsshOpDers.

The question of wheat growing
il now one of the most serious for
the consideration of the farmers.
We know that il Is discouragiDg to
lose labor and seed, but 1t is better
TO strain every nerve and use every
exertion than to give up. Below
we publish an article on the subject
from Hon. T. c. Henry, the great
wheat grower of Abilene county,
and call especial attention to it. We
believe We are ON the right track in
urging our farmers TO get In every
possible acre of wheat. There is
reason for this course not given by
Sir. Henry. We have had two
splendid corn crops in succession.
It lie hardly probable we will have
another next year. 1t will be an
unusual run of good luck if we do.
Three good corn crops in succession
is thing that rarely occur in any
country. Hence the question of
next years wheat crop becomes the
more important. There are instan-
ces where good crops OF wheat
have been raised by pursuing q
similar course TO that indicated by
Mr. Henry:
How shall we get q crop of wheat
next season, despite the gresshop-
pers'! is the question now para
mount to all others with people of
this country. The season has be-
come so advanced that have but
little hope OF the 'hoppers leaving
entirely. The few that are here
will gather upon the wheat fields
during the day, and eat the young
wheat as fast as it comes up. As
the nights get cooler, they will
stubble, weeds and especially the
prairie grass that sdjOins the wheat
fields; aud warmed by the midday
sun, hop out into the fields and
keep the wheat destroyed. l con-
cludc, therefore, that If the wheat
is sown so as to come up before a
killing freeze TO the grasshoppers,
it will, with perhaps an exception
here and there, be ruined. There
fore, have determined TO seed my
wheat SO late that it will not come
up this fall. To do that, / shall
ploW all my sod, leaving the ground
rough, and, governed somewhat by
the activity of the grasshoppers,
delay sowing for two, three or four
weeks; which / will do upon such
ground by eowing broadcast upon
the furrow, getting the grain in as
deep a. possible. AT that time, up
on any unplowed sod,I will SOW the
seed and plow 1t under aud harrow
smooth afterwards-the idea being
to have the grain down where il
will be kept moist during the win
ter. 1t will not answer to SOW
wheat SO late upon the sod without
blowing 1t, because the grain is too
near the surface, and is ruined long
before spring by sprouting when
wet and easily shrivelled and killed
by a little dry weather. Again,
upon old ground 1 shall pillow, har-
row smooth, make it compact, and
then drill deep as il is possible. /
shall do tins and keep sowing, if it
Is not prudent earlier, rs late as the
middle or last of November. /
have talked with q number OF our
oldest and most experienced farm
ers, and they all agree that the pros
poet for a crop sown in such q way
is very nearly if not quite an aver
age one; that If wheat is not sown
early enough to get a good growth
in the fall, it is bsst that it should
not come up until spring. / can
say very emphatically that I do not
fear any particular damage from
grasshoppers next spring; but
where the eggs are very thick,
along the bends of q creek for in
stance, the ground should be plOW-
ed. The thing to do now is to go
ahead and plow with all your
might.