The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-09-27
WHEAT CULTURE.

WHEAT CULTURE.
Notes and Dissertations on Soil, Culture.
Seed, Time Of SoDiny, Preparation of
Soa, Diseases, Prcvcntives
MEssRs. EDIToRs:-For ten or twelve
years past have been an observer of the
wheat growing interest Of our section and,
believing that my notes and observations in
that direction might be profitable to some
who may be young and inexperienced, in
reference to this important crop, | have
concluded to give them for the public good
or at least for the benefit of our Young
III Slace, q Raso sem that Il is
not 30 much In the quantity of land planted,
as the quality and culture, that success lies
have seen one acre of land, with intclli-
gent and rightly directed culture, produce
os much as SIX Or eight acres managed in
the usual.Way; and right here l would like
our young farmers at some leisure time to
solve me this little question: What does
it profit man il he keep and feed two hor-
ses or mu les to cultivate and harvest the
product of forty acres, when all that the
forty acres, produce can be made on four
acres withgood management and one horse
and onehand ? Comment is unnecessary.
The conditions for tho aSseinmcnt of sue
'~oass In wheat culture arc precisely the same
as for success in corn or cotton. Whatever is
worth having in this world or the next, .mast
be gotten and retained by woRKEa }
rected, intelligent and dillia& 1f
~tarnsks asclassun IL f6c cm ton
and corn crops as they do their wheat aud
other small grain crops the country would
be bankrupt in five years, beyond the hope
Of recovery. And why is it? Is it be-
cause wheat is so cheap and incvnsiderable
an article of deit or trade as not to be
worthy of Serious consideration? Who
would be willing to supply this county with
wheat flour one year for one hundred thou
sand dollars? Surely this sum kept anon g
us would make some of US feel bottor, if not
all. I
From che miscrabl9 slovenly, don't 't-care-
a-cuss-way ofmanaging this crop, the idea
has become prevalent in the country that
wheat raising is too risky and uncertain
business to justify any considerable outlay,
either in quality of soil or labor bestowed.
Tho anltnIhafnf naitea- and oorn ;s na. anps;I-
cred o'fisKyEDUil6ess, but why? Give your
cotton or any other crop the same culture
anu SiuuSC thac Jou oo Joui WuCdO duo viz
great guano princes of our country would
soon exchange their silvo mounted carriages
and palatial mansions for q cart and cabin.
lie that expects something for nothing will
die in expectation. My observation for
the past ten years has satisfied me entirely,
the condition being the same, wheat is
just as certain crop as any other, and the
blame of failure is, nine times out of ten
ON the farmer and not on the crop. l an
perfectly aware that wheat has many en-
emics aud disadvantages, but what crop il
there that has not? I ma ". d3sisssa a3issa- :, re
that asnis crop is exposed are th. result
= or ofignorance, want of Judgment and bad
managenentssI will now try to Law before
a ftsult Of my observations
1.e FIRST, LAND.
"a ase noticed that wheat does best ON
- kss 1dlns or sloping Southward
profitable crop Of any Other stSd vtassRaa
fern. If not in this condition it must b.
made SO by fertilizers homemade the
best). The land must not be springy Of
soggy, nor yet so thirsty as to contain mois
ture only while it is raining. This last
difficulty may be met by deep and thorough
p.owing. Second or third year cleared land
gives better results than older lands fo
reasons to be explained further on unde
the head ''ruxk" My observations shoy
me that the best lands for wheat are thos,
~ - sesia,
,-apd allowed. g gssxa pnlialniiaaun fl1fni1l6l
5ssssil bssfs sIgz
and piow two or three times, each plowine
crossing the last sow and harrow OF brush