The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-09-29
Marion Murphy ON tho Cultivation
OF Wheat.
DUCK CREEK, Sept. 2s, 1880.

DUCK CnEEK, Sept. 2S, 1880.
To the Il litor of tho Herald.
In referring to my article on the seed wheat
question tho editor OF the Agricultural de.
pnrtmont takes mo to task somewhat, and
hardly know which is the greatest fault.
finder, himself or myself. shall leave that
with tho farmers, and am willing to abide by
their verdict. However, there is not such u
great difference In our views after all, only
think, IS stated before, that he laid the cause
for so much poor wheat being brought to
market little too heavy upon the shoulders
of the farmers do not think they merit such
words rs these. ''you are whiting away year
after year upon this little Mediterranean and
Red May trash, when you know from ono to
twenty years experience that il never did
make good wheat, and II never will"
think that ii l could call back tho crop of
1878 would be able to show the gentleman
as good wheat grown from the "Red
May trash,' rs he calls 1t, az no ever saw out
side of California. The farmers, if they re-
member correctly about the crop of 'T3, will
bear me out in the statement. There was
scarcely any other kind grown here then.
Tho X ntuoky Buestem was then being
Introduced into the country, and y few farm
ers were giving 1t q trial, and were we'll
pleased with it, and thought that 1t was to
DO the wheat for this country. 1t was
claimed that 1t was proof against rust, and it
being white wheat made viii or and nicer
looking -four than the Red May. | say
nicer, but no better flour than tho Red May
wheat was made in those days, but in few
years the Bluestem yielded to the rust SO
badly that farmers came to the conclusion
that 1t was almost useless to sow il at all. 1t
was not tho wheat Cor this climate
as was predicted on Its introduction.
But they kept on sowing the Red Nay ms the
principal wheat crop. Some little expert
ments wtr1 made on some other foreign va
rieties, but to NO great extent. Finally the
Big Mediterranean was brought in, and it
took readily, and gave almost perfect salts
faction so far as the yield was concerned,
but was disagreeable to handle in harvesting
and threshing on account of its long and
sharp beards, yet farmers were willing to put
up with the dsagrcesbleness of the boards so
long as they were insured a good yield in
gram, but 1t is proving not to be the wheat
for this country, like the Blue Stem. 1t was
thought to be- sure against the rust, and like
it, it will in course Of lime yield up the ghost
and the Rod May be left to throw the gaunt-
let for another contestant. What the next
variety will be to DO tried have no idea, but
We must keep on trying and experimenting.
Possibly kind better adapted TO this coun-
try may be found, but the peuuliartes of
both the climate and soil of Texas are so
great, that We fear no certain variety Of
wheat will DO found that will
adapt itself TO all the
demands Of 80 eccentric country as this is
and prove to BEL an annual success. We want
q kind of wheat that will ripen just as early
as possible after the spring frost quits. am
confident the earliest wheat to ripen is the
least liable to rust the reason why the Blue
Stem and tho Big Mediterranean varieties
Jared worse than the Red May, by the rust,
was because they ripened later. l perfectly
agree with the gentleman that 1t is best to
plant good seed Of any kind, and would not
think of advising any one to SOW bad wheat
lift can be avoided, but do not believe the
great problem rests so much.upon the seed as
IL does upon the kind of seasons we have. /
believe the greater portion Of the soil of north
Texas is we'll adapted to the cultivation of
wheat. also believe that the climate gem
orally is suitable to wheat growing, but we all
know how eccentric our seasons often become,
and as l spoke further back about the pecu-
liarities of the soil and climate being as
feared hard to overcome in making wheat
growing success. just ask here what
Il it that causes these peculsrites
so often manifested in the climate and soil of
Texas? Is It not due to the irregularity of
the seaionsi Does not wind and rain, hea,
and cold govern our climate, and to great
extent, give to our soil the properties they
psssess, and those four elements work in har.
mony with all gowing vegetation, then the
t'ller of the soil may expect to be beautifully
awarded with good crops of all he may plant,
and right here lies the unknown secret" II
Is bound up in these four elements, that make
the seasons, and as said before, when we
can control sunshine and shower heat and
cold, then will we be able TO make wheat
growing an annual success, and, might add
all other crops.
The gentleman asks for my experiments