The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-11-08
WHEN TO CUT WHEAT.


the following, for the benefit of our
agricultural friends. 1t is little out
of season, but very readable matter,
nevertheless. 1t is taken from the
U. S. Milling and Manufacturing
Journal.
A Missouri farmer sends his views
to the New York Farmers Club, in
the following language: What is the
proper stage of ripeness to cut wheat?
Fifty or sixty years ago, if you had
asked a Pennsylvania Dutchman
this question, he would have said;
' Ven de heads begin to stoop."-
There is the whole secret in nut
shell.-Wheat must become thor
onghly ripe before cut or disaster is
the result-just what we are now suf
fering. 1t has been the custom for
many years past to cut wheat while
in the Aaugh. The custom was intro
duced by incompetent millers, who
had not the skill to dress their burrs
so as to shave the flour off the bran
while cutting it fine. hence they rec
ommended farmers to cut green 50
the bran would be tough, and they
could crafty the rage for white -four
Cor starch rather) when i'll fact, pure
matured wheat flour is not white, but
of a yelIowish cast. This cast or col
or signifies the oil and aroma Of pure
wheat flour. 1t signifies life and Wig
or in it, and was the sign Of originals
ity sought after. But o. the degen-
eracy of man. Now all the rage is
white -four, little else but starch, a
poor, sticky, clammy, tasteless stuff.
Now, shall we continue this custom
of violating the laws of nature, or try
to get back to the first principles?
To continue wemay crafty our super.
fiuous notions, but it is very expen-
sive. This custom has brought upon
us train of evils, such as smut, rust,
Hessian fly, weevil, chinch bug, &c.
Can you recollect about what lime
smut and rust were introduced into
America? According to my recOllec-
ton, it was soon after we commenced
cutting our wheat green. Previous
to that, those evils were unknown.
Now if we should be disposed to get
back to first principles, we find our
selves in adilemma,for we have noth>
ing else but green cut wheat to prop>
agate from, and it has been demon-
strated by naturalists that no Yegeta>
ton is inclined to become any ripper
than the seed that produced 1t; 1t will
arrive at Just that state and then stop
and dry up, and it is called ripe, and
if there is any more sap IN the stem,
it must be expended in some other
way, as in wheat the sap exudes from
the straw and forms rust on the straw.
Then we say our wheat is injured by
the rust, which is an entire mistake.
When the wheat begins to ripen, you
can tell whether the seed was ripe or
not in this way-if from green seed,
the straw will begin to turn yellow
next the head, and that of pure rlpen-
ed seed will begin to turn yellow next
the ground and so advance upward
until it gets to the head, then the
lead will begin to droop and then is
the time to cut But here arises a
dilemma: we have not got the ripe
seed to SOW, and from such as we
have we will never have anything
else.
1t is easy to retrogadc but hard to
get up again. think | can devise a
plan to get back once more to first
principles. You no doubt have motto
ed that when the wheat began to ripen
that there were some heads riPening
first. Well, those heads were prodlc-
e from seed that had escaped being
cut green. Select these heads, let
them get thoroughly ripe, then cut
them out with Il knife, and SOW again,
and repeat This process two or three
times from the improved seed, and
you will have a seed that will pay
YOU for all your trouble. Thereafter
be sure and let enough of your crop
for seed get thoroughly ripe before
cutting.-The standard weight OF
wheat, sixty pounds to the bushel /
was, though very low, made so thst
the poorest could find 4 market
Now it is our best grades only that
come to the standard.
| have raised wheat in three differ
ent States that averaged siXty-elght
pounds to the bushel, struck standard
measure. Pursue these instructions
and YOU will not be troubled with
rust or any other pest, and you will
have the best -four the world can pro-