Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-04-06
VOL. VIT.--NO. 1S.
Cultivation of wheat in Vermont.


TO interest every citizen, especially every
farmer Of Vermont. Away back through
the mystic vale Of past ages wheat has ever
been the staff Of life in civilized nations, and
are we in this enlightened age going to
abandon its culturo2 Golden fields Of wheat
are as unmistakable signs of civilization as
the church spire pointing towards heaven,
No nation ever uncasped the shackles Of
barbarism and developed into the higher,
nobler sphere of civilization without wheat
entering IN largely as the food of the inhab-
liant, aud it / were assigned the task OF
converting heathen nation to a civilized
one | should choose wheat rather than schools
and colleges as a civilizer. When n mans
stomach is well filled with good wholesome
food he can by little moral suasion be con-
verted to any thing good and noble.
When nation abandons the culture of
wheat it throws wide open the doors and in
viles ruin aud destruction. The cultivation
Of wheat is as essential to the prosperity Of
a country as schools and churches. Aud il
we expect to prosper in the future as we
have in the past we must continue to grow
our wheat. Are the hilsdes of Vermont
no longer to be covered with yellow fields of
wheat2 Are we TO depend on the West for
our breadstuff2 Shall we of Vermont pay
an annual tax of over one and half mil.
lion dollars to the West for -four? No; let
US 60 to work and grow our wheat aud stop
the insane and foolish practice Of sending
every dollar we obtain from our farms to the
West for -four and corn. We pay an au-
nual tax Of over ten dollars each to rail-
roads and the West for that which ought to
be grown on our farms. You may think this
small sum, but in a family Of FIVE it
amounts to fifty dollars per year, and l tell
you it is more than you can afford to pay
for popularity, and it ought to be stopped
A farmer who grows his wheat is not popu.
lar according to the hifalutin notions Of the
upper crust.
1t has become fashionable for farmers
wives to use boughten -four because their
village cousins do, and it is said "a person
might as we'll be out of the world as out OF
fashion" For me, prefer to be out OF
fashion, regardless Of the consequences, and
raise my own wheat am not rich enough
nor do | ever expect to be, to buy my -four
When you see n farmer posting off to the
village every month or six weeks for barre
Of -four, it is time to be looking out for him
He is paying tax that sooner or later will
prove source Of trouble to him aud hi!
creditors. He is liable to have the privi
lege Of settling his estate.
1t is said the wheat crop is not paying
one in Vermont. Perhaps farmer cannot
afford to raise wheat in this State to sell
but raising wheat to sell and raising whea
for your own use are two different things
In the United States the average yield o
wheat is twelve bushels per acre. In Yer
mont the yield per acre is seventeen bqshel
five bushels above the average. The fv
bushels of wheat above the average will
amply repay one for the extra care required
to grow au acre of wheat in Vermont, anC
you have the satisfaction of growing you
bread stuff without depending on any othe
section of the country for it. We ought +
and can grow our wheat if we will expen
half the money sent west for -four in fertil
izers adapted to the crop. 1t is true, ther
are years our wheat crop proves failure
or nearly So but what is the use of cryin
aud giving up its cultivation. There ar
farmers who obtain an average yield Of 9
or % bushels per acre and there are non
who will dispute its being paying Gro
then. In England the average yield pc
acre is % bushels and see no reason VIII
we cannot do as we'll. We have many evi
to contend with, but l think time and stud
will overcome many if not all troubles col
cerning ont wheat crop. think one trot
Bile is that we do not make our land as rio
as it should be. Upon one acre Of land
farmer in Waterford raised over forty bush
els of wheat by measure. The land Wi
heavily manured with old manure and Il
soil was dry.
If we should drill our wheat in and kec
the weeds down and the soil light we wou
be amply repaid for our time and troubl
Under this system of cultivation there h
been yield Of over 100 bushels per acr
In Vermont we never can reach such result
but there is no reason why farmers cam
grow their wheat. 1t is thought only b
q farms are suitable for growing wheat. Th'
are better adapted for that purpose, but
: have seen a nice field ofIwheat in the vale
1t was upon sandy SOIL The manure W
: applied in the winter and the wheat SOY
. and as carly as possible IN the spring.
!. think that is one trouble with wheat in V,
mont, we do not SOW it early enough. o
of the best crops | ever saw was sown
= March The ground at the time was d
on the top, but afterward there were seve
inches of snow. Taking everything ii
consideration do not believe in giving
the wheat crop in Vermont. In these ha
times we should grow as nearly as poss
everything necessary on the farm. The VIII
D. we grow costs us little or no money. {
motto should be, Economy, and growing {
wheat would be a long step in that dir
tion.
Ir hong hnun ihn hntestnhle hnhit-En