The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-08-02
AGRICULTURAL MATTERS.
Culture Of Wheat.


In an essay before the Lancaster, Pa.
County Agricultural Society, Mr.. J. G.
Linville read q very interesting article
on the culture of wheat, In which he
told some plain truths. He begins with
the idea that forkfu1s of manure flung
around loosely in chunks is wrong. OF
course, if very heavy coat is applied it
does not require SO nice spreading to-
make it cover the ground. III your soil
and make it reach further. Four loads
to the acre, well spread, will benefit the
crop as much as five or six loads thrown
around in forkfuls, as is too often done.
Having your manure out, the next thing
is to plough it under. It makes little
difference whether it is ploughed in as
soon as spread, or left on the surface al
month or more Much has been written
by theorists about the escape of ann
monia. The fact is, there is, as general
rule, but little free ammonia in barnyhrd
manure when hauled to the field, and if
there was it would take flight Immediate
" when spread, even before it could be
ploughed down. A good way to prevent
the loss of ammonia carbonate of ann
monial is to have a quantity of land plas-
ter (sulphate of lime) on hand, and APP
ply some of it to the floors of your
stables every time you clean them out.
This is said to fx" the ammonia. That
IS, the sulphuric acid leaves its hold of
the lime and seizes the ammonia, form
ing carbonate of ammonia, which is nop-
volatile. To prove that this is not mere
theory get some pulverized plaster, and
when you clean your horse stable ON a
hot day, and the air is so redalent of
hartshorn that you are almost strangled,
sow quart of plaster in each stall, and
in five minutes the pungent odor will
have gone. / once ploughed field COW
cred with manure in the early part of
August, with the exception of about an
acre. This lay bleaching and roesting
in the sun for about month plenti-
full crop of weeds grew up through it,
and it was turned down in the beginning
of September and produced by far the
best wheat in the field. 1t may be truly
said that one experiment does not prove
anything, bnt there can be no question
but strawy manure Is benefited by ex-
posure to the sun. At the same time the
! soil is improved by the mulch. As a
general rule, early ploughing is the best;
but there are SO many exceptions to the
rule that it cannot be insisted on. When
you are ready and the ground in q proper
state of moisture go to work and plough,
and pay no regard to the signs. The first
thing in the preparation of the soil for
wheat or any other crop is to have it well
| ploughed. If this is not thoroughly done
no amount of after cultivation will rem
edy the evil. Bad and careless ploughing
| is at the root of more slovenly farming
than anything else. In order to break
the ground thoroughly We must have
good ploughs There are not any better
| adapted to our soils and suited to our
wants than are made near home. have
long tried to get steel plough that
would "fill the bill, but am now con-
vinced that chilled cast iron mould will
clean as well and last much longer than
steel one. In regari to the much
yexed question of deep or shallow
| ploughing / think the almost unanimous
voice of practical farmers is in favor OF
| shallow or medium ploughing. When ]
say shallow ploughing do not mean the
skinning process practiced In some parts
| of the South The Commissioner OF
| Agriculture of the State of Georgia re-
ports the average depth of ploughing in
| that state to be Que inch. Farmers In
| the sunny South must trust to Provi-
dence more than we. 1t has not yet been
proven that foot IN depth is better than
six or eight inches, and as long as the
matter remains in doubt we will plough
shallow or medium and save our teams.
Having come to grief two or three times
by cultivating the ground too much when
in dusty condition, | hardly know what
to say about its final preparation. l
think there is not much danger of culti-
waiting too much when the ground is
moist. A safe rule is, when the ground
is dry roll much and harrow little when
the ground is moist and solid, harrow
much and roll little. The soil ought not
to be disturbed when very wet or very
| dry. but we have no control of the wealth