The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-10-19
PREPARING FOR WHEAT SOWING.

Sufficient time is not suffered to capse
between p!owiug for wheat and seeding, to
admit OF that packing of the soil and pre-
limlnary decomposition Of crude vegetable
matter which on most soils is au indispeu-
sable prerequisite to u good wheat crop"
The above sentence summarizes tho expert
cnce Of our most successful wheat growers.
| do not doubt that on the rich, mucky soils
Of western prairics, this packing" aud
preliminary decomposition of crude vegc-
table matter are even more important chan
here. For very many years Western New
York farmers thought summer f,llowng
was necessary to insure good wheat crop.
Now we get quito as good wheat after bar
ley and potatoes. We have learned, by
experience, that it is the decomposition of
vegetable matter aud the consequent firm
ing of the soil which are of the most i'm
portance, which the summer iallow accom-
plishes. The farmer who leaves his tallow
to be ovcrgrown with mass of weeds, and
then turns these under just before seeding,
makes tho soil SO light that it will absorb
an immense amount of water. The result
is that such fields will not produce as good
wheat crops us we'll managed stubblc or corn
and potato ground. But for the difficulty
in getting off hocd crops in time they would
almost always be followed directly by wheat
instead OF succeeding an intervening oat or
barley crop. Very many farmers do clear
their fields of early Irish potatoes in time
for wheat seeding, and if the ground is
right in other respects, they seldom fail of
good yield. Hocd crops laid by" early in
July, have time to become firm before
wheat sowing timc-cspccially with corn.
We find here that old wheat soils have
become deficient in mineral clemcnts, par.
ticularly phosphate and lime. Potash in
the form Of ashes and soda in coarse salt,
are also very important; and dressings of
100 to 300 pounds Of these, drilled in with
the seed, produce remarkable effect.
suspect that lack OF some Of these elements
is the cause of western failures in wheat.
growing Illinois farmers boast f the in
cXhaustiblc fertility of their deep black
soil. No doubt it Is rich enough in carbo-
naccous mattcr-rich enough for gross feed
ing plants like corn and oats but if it falls
to grow other grains, it shows defect
somewhere and it is the duty of Illinois
farmers to experiment until they discover
what the deficiency is. In some places
spring wheat succeeds, while winter wheat
except in favorable seasons, fails Here,
probably, the failure is dlc to severe or wet
winters, and the mechanical condition of
the soil; but we find here ON such lands
that the wheat plant will live, if the soil
aboundS in mineral elements needed to make
Il good crop. In other words, to repeat Il
phrase heretofore used in this cor. espon.
dcncc. wheat will live in very bad seasons
provided there is anything it can live FOR
If the roots fnd little encouragement in the
soil, the plant quickly dies.
| do not ulcrvaluc the rich masses of
vegetable matter in the western prairics,
often from one t. six or more feet in depth
They are of immense Importance to western
turner's. They are mines whence lie can
draw incxhnustiblc supplies of corn, pork
beef and mutton. II in addition they can
grow large crops of wheat by the use Of Il
tritling amount of mineral manurcs, it will
add immensely To their wealth Filming the
land by the use of the roller and drag, and
draining It by open furrows ut suitable dis.
tances, will put the soil in the proper me-
chanical condition. Probably lib raj use
of quicklimc would be double advantage
-dccomposing more rapidly the surplus
humus, and adding one Of the most i'm por-
tant mineral elements Of the plant. The
experiments with lime. potash, phosphatcs
and salt, should be made on n small scale at
first.
The roller is more useful in preparing
wheat ground than any other implcmcnt.-
There is little danger Of getting the ground
too solid. Drill in the seed as shallow as
YOU can cover it, and leave the ground un-
rolled for winter rains and SHOWS to smooth
the drill marks-W j. +. in Cuhiruior
ro~mty Gentleman.