Richland beacon., 1876-04-01
Wheat Culture.

MethO0o OF Wbeat culture vary III
different parts Of the country. In The ;
beet wheat growing districts Of the
North aud East suc,,ner following is
common. The plan is to break up the
land that has been previously in pas
,urc or meadow usually clover sod)
Immediately after corn planting. then
harrow and cultivate it occasionally
until about the 10Th OF September;
then SOW. If The large two hors.
cul,ivatur is not used, then cross pillow
previous 10 sowing the wheat, allow
The ground to settle, and then drill IN
six p,cks to the acre; If dry, finish
by rolling. This is the usual plan
wh.re proper rotation Of crops is
followed
The Western and Southern system
Of v heat culture is entirely different.
4 rotation Of crops is the exception,
no, the rule. Wheat too often follows
wheat, or the small grains. Generally
the plan il to plow the fields us soon
as they are cleared Of the wheat, oat,
barley, rye, or hungarian crops, and
let tho land rest until few days
before seeding time, SO as to allow
time for tho shellcd grains to come
up; little afler-cultivalion, with the
culliva,cr, harrow and roller. is deem
Ell sufficient. About busbel aud o
half Of wheat il drilled in 10 the acre.
The u.e Of the drill in seeding is
almost universal. Fertilizers are no,
used as yet to any extent, although
many are beginning 10 consider the
proprirty Of 1t. Statements FROM,
reliable farmers are not uncommon
that they who have used them have
gained from 25 to 40 per cent in their
crops by using gypsum aud bone
dust. The advantage of keeping up
The fertility Of wheat lands is shown
by the experience Of John johnson.
the modern farmer OF Western New
York, now in his 84th year. His
last afty annual crops Of wheat have
averaged twenty-eight bushels per
acre, Notwithstanding his loss Of two
whole crops to reduce tho average,
and several partial failures. lie sows
o ton Of plaster on twenty acres oil
clover, at a COS, Of twenty cents per
acre and clover gives him his very
profitable crops Of wheat. Let the
thoughtful reader ponder this bit o
wheat history, where 20 cents wor,f
agricultural salts per acre q year, j.
nm important element in the prOduc
ton of twenty eight bushels of whoa
year fo1 nearly Fifty years in sue
ccssion.
According to recent experiments
the most profitable fertilizers 70
wheat are those which contain tn
u.ost nitrogen. Nitric acid, a. pur
chased in nitrate of soda. is bette
manure than the same in PeruvisI
guano or salts of ammonia. Nitrate
Of soda, ike that Of potash, occurs a
IN incrustation of the surface Of tb
earth in some places, especially on ID
borders of Chilli and Peru, where
covers large areas, and is found in bed
Of considerable thickness. Large quar
titles CT the nitrateare used as q man
ure to furnish nitric acid and soda t
the SOIL But as most soils contain
sufficient quantity ofsoda for the want
Of vegetation, the chief value Of thi
product is due TO the nitric acid whic
it contains, aud which is q source {
nitrogen. Repeated experiments at on
of the most successful model farms j
Great Britain have shown that the bes
results in wheat culture have bee
attaiScd by using an amount of tor
dressing Of 100 to $50 pounds to tb
acre Of the nitrate of soda mixed wit
On equal amount oftbe superphosphat
VI lime.
We give the foregoing formula, nc
with the expectation of its immedial
adoption but we believe the day
not for distant when, in the effort t
restore the fertility of the soil, whic
has been exhausted by the never
ceasipg taking everything of and pu
ting nothing on process, the questio
u commercial fertilizers will becom
u most important one in connectiO
with wheat culture. 1t is to be hope
that farmers who can do SO will begi
experimenting with fertilizers, with
view to ascertaining how much
crop can be increased by the inves
ipent of o certain amount Of cas-
capital in nanures of the kind "
have northumberland HOrld.