Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-10-16
Qrom the Southern Planter and Farmer.
Thin Seeding Of Wheat.


my tardy compliance to your request to
communicate to you the facts in my pos
session on the question of the Thin
Seeding Of Wheat"
Soon afterI commenced farming be-
came.satisfed that the quantities ofseed
generally used were entirely excessive,
and that considerable reduction of it
would not only be that much saved for
market, but in all probability would, at
the same time, be productive Of increas-
ed yields. 1 have, according, for the
last five years, been making occasional
experiments of one peck to the acre,
drilled in rows sixteen inches apart;
and in every instance the yield OF such
seeding has exceeded that OF the same
land seeded at one bushel per acre.
These uniformly satisfactory results
convinced me that one peck per acre
could safely be depended on for eceno-
meal culture, and last year used that
quantity for a portion of my crop, some
100 acres. This wheat, soon after it
began to filler, assumeda more vigor-
Gus look than the rest Of the crop seed
cd at two and one and a-half pecks re-
spectively, and it preserved its super or
ity until it was overtaken by the rust,
which ruined all alike, as 1t did most Of
the wheat in this section. My crop be-
ing mostly Clawson and anotoer variety
closely resembled it, suffered still more
than the Fults generally succeeded in
this nelghborhsod; and l have made up
my mind to cenfne myselfin the future
to the Red Bearded varieties exclusive
ly, they being the oner,a far as have
been able TO ascertain, that have made
any approach to satisfactory yield.
have invariably found the above
mentioned way of drilling wheat, one
peck per acre, with the rows at l6 in
ches, to cover the land completely at
harvest time, but the plants, with that
quantity OF seed, beng still crowded in
the rows, had Two plats, one Of $50
kernels, the o,her Of 500, planted at 6x6
inches; the first on the 25lh Of Septem-
Der last, the latter beginning OF the fol-
rowing Felrlary,to test both the distance
that plans will cover and the percent
ace Of seed that would fail to produce
plants. Of the above ESQ kernels, two
only failed, the plants being destroyed
by insects after the blade had appeared
above the ground.
ItbeCame evident, as soon as these
plants had started IN full grswth, that
they were crowding one another, and 1
had them consequently thinned 10 .l6x
l2,ncbes. at Which distance they COM
pie ely covered the ground before rising
and the plants looked all along so much
more vigorous than thick seeded wheat
does, that several farmers inquired
what new variety of wheat that was
For the plat planted in September l
had selected purposely poor spot that
with ordinary cultivation, weuld certain
lynot have produced the seed, and it
evidently yielded, with the exception OF
a few experimental acres Of German
Amber, the only good wheat l had, but
unfortunately my object in testing very
poor land, was defeated by an applica-
ton Of manure made to 1t early in
March, without my knowledge. The
second plat was not expected to and
did net mature seed, having been plan.
ted entirely too late to produce any
the object in view, as stated before,
having been different.
These experiments, confirmed as
they nave been by numerous measure
ments OF isolated plants in the fields,
have brought me to the conclusion that
under favorable conditions the wheat
p ant will cover space of one square
foot and should not be given much less
in practical culture. This idea, l am
fully aware, will seem startling to most
farmers, but that this allowance is not
inconsistent with large yield will be-
come evident to them if.they will only
reflect, that supposing one peck TO be
seeded 10 the acre and each seed to pro-
duce merely three heads Of Thirty grains
each, not a very sanguine estimate GER
tainly, the yield would be '1Y'=223
bushels. From calculations l made re-
Gently on two samples of wheat, Fultz
AMI German Amber, found that seed
O1e bushel Of Fultz per acre, would give
17ssSS plants to the square foot, and O.
German Amber, for the same quantity
of seed, 13 10 plants per square foot
Anything more irrational than such ar
owe crowdng Of plant of strong tiller'
inc habit ma tuTally, it would be difficult
10 imagine.
Conside ing the immense importance
OF the question TO the agricultural IN
terest Of Virginia, under its present
circumstances particularly, 1 wouiC
most earnestly urge our wheat growers
to make this very fall few experiment.
IN arleqi plont,ag and TO lay of, every
one Of them, say Two or three small
plants, l2xl2 inches, lGxS0, l6xl5 in
ches respectively; plant from two t.
three inches deep one sound kernel o
wheat IN each check, and 10 give The
plats a couple Of good borrowings
beginning as soon as the plants have
begun their spring growth. BY weigh
ing each crop after harvest. it will be