Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-02
Salt Oh Wheat.
LEXINGTON. KY, Dec. 10, Is

LEXINGTON. KY, Dec. 10, 1880.
Il. T.. .Honaghan, Esq:
DEAR SIR: Your letter Of Dec. 6, re-
ceived. For some years past | have been
impressed from articles in the agricultural
papers that there wa: some virtue in SOW
ing salt on growing wheat, especially as 4
preventive of rust in a wet season and to
stiiIrn the straw in strong land, SO about
the l.: rf April, 1879, | spwed Oh seven
acres of very strong land in rank white
whca: (>i!ver chief variety). 1T the rate of
175 los of refuse OF pork house salt, per
acre. the result WAS very satisfactory as
the grain WAS clear OF rust and stood mp
well, the whole field of 32 acres making a
yield of 46t bushels per acre, but is all the
field was tnrcsl,ed together, | could not
tell the difference in yield, where sown
with salt and where not.
Last summer, 1880, our wheat was full
Of fly, some OF it seemingly almost ruined,
and again sowed the same ratio of salt
Oh my crop of eighty acres, and the re-
suit was again quite satisfactory.
sowed broadcast about April 1>t in 4 dry
time is preferable. think the salt inter
fered very materially with the fly in its
ravay"s. and in a very dry season is bcnc-
fetal in retaining the moisture. think
~ LhC IllpSt NNsr.ittd' tll ttStii
an open winter. when the wheat has 4
rank growth.
Nv salt cost lDe this past season $45,
and think that at Il moderate estimate it
was worth $500 t" me- Il is claimed by
many persons that salt is a fine fertilizer,
and will very much increase the yiclu of
wheat in any season, but of this | am not
prepared to say. but am fully satisfied that
salt is 4 fine preventive of rust, stiilCn-
ing up OF the straw and crvstallizing the
grain. and is not at all rcii>hcd by any
insect. | raise hardy, tiinty, white
wheat altogether. and have been quite sue
ccSsful for several years past. growing only
on the best OF land.
Yours truly.
W. 7. HEARSE.
GLENCOE, Mimi. December 1S. 1880
II. T.. MONAGHAN. Esq. West Chester,
Pa Yours asking my experience with
salt on wheat land received.
My experience with salt is confined 20
one trial during the past season with one
busl,eI of common Michigan salt sown on
IL acres Of old land, after the wheat was
sOwn and narrowed in the spring. Wheat
sOwn early in April. In Il G0-acre field.
one acre was carefully measured and
threscd by itself. where the salt was not
sown, and it produced 81 bushels machine
measure, and weighing out 3G bushels,
while the average yield was "a bushels.
The wheat produced on salted land test
cd SO pounds as it came Fl ON the machine
while no other part of the field tested over
81 pounds.
i,c :. ason was rather wet and did
not anticipate 50 favorable 4 result rs
though it had been dry. am so pleased
with the result that shall try to salt my
whole field, 1T the rate of of i barrel, Or
about 200 pounds to the acre.
made my experience from information
obtained from Wisconsin farmers, who
claim that salt will increase yield eight
bushels per acre.
The best of my wheat being one pound
on the buslel more than that produced
from any part of the field. convinces
me that the salt is very necessary ingTe-
dent to our land in wheat raising.
I also find that narrowing the land after
the wheat is up several inches does it much
good. Any further information can rem
der you of interest will be cheerfully given.
Yours very truly,
A. II. REED.