The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-15
Wheat Growing-Early Flowing.
An object gained by blowing early

L L
mosphere adds to the fertility of
land was first observed and demon
strated in England. For ages it had
been the practice to fallow land be-
cause it brought better crops afterward.
But no one ever stopped to think that
better crops meant more plant food in
the soil, and that if following increased
the productiveness of land it must he
because the atmosphere and rains fer
tilted the soil. But when some one
| did think of this, many were ready to
verify it by experiments. Just how the
atmosphere fertilizes the soil is not
fully understood. Doubtless it adds to
its plant food directly; and Indirectly
it increases its store of food by unlock
ing unavailable compounds and setting
their elements free. 1t is certain that
the effect is the result of direct contact
with the air; from which it must follow
that whatever increases the surface ex-
posed to the air will increase the at
mospheric fertilization. Flowing does
this; it breaks the solid, continuous sur
face up into Jumps, exposing greater
surface to the air and leaving crevices
| and openings for the free ingress and
egress of the atmosphere. The earlier
the ground is plowed the longer will be
the time for this process to go on; and
the longer it continues the greater the
results. Early blowing gives a longer
period for the fertilization of the soilb
| the combined action of sun, rain and
air. 1t must be remembered that it is
not the amount of plant food in the soil
| Al - IL Int tbaa Mt of
available plant food. Pulyerizin6 the
soil makes the plant food availsole by
fastening solution. Sun, air ard rain
disintegrate the soil, and thus oy i'm
proving its mechanical texture, increase
its fertility and productiveness
Early blowing aids in securing firm
seed-bed. 1t may be proper to define
firm seed-bed 1t is not a hard one
of dry, lifeless soil; it is Composed OF
fine earth thoroughly comacted. 10
make it the first operations to fine the
soil, then to compact it.
A firm seed-bed is one of the essen
tials of a good crop of wheat Wheat
can not be raised with any certainty on
a coarse, loose bed. A fine, firm soil
best resiSts the action O frost in winter.
In such bed seeds terminate most
quickly and plants grow most rapidly.
For reasons which | shall give here
after, late sowing $ advisable; but
where the wheat is sewn late it will not
attain to a sufficient growth before
winter sets in, unleS it terminates and
grows rapidly. Hence the necessity of
firm seed-bed. The reason of this is
that firm seed bed, being composed of
fine, compact soil, is most nearly
homogeneous, and consequently its
moisture and temperature are uniform,
insuring speedy and complete germina-
ton and growth. Again, plant food to
be available must be soluble, or in a
state of very fine division approaching
solubility for it must be taken up by
the minute fibrille. Filming the soil
aids solution, l. e., makes plant food
available and abundant, and thus in
sures rapid growth.
The action of the elements tends con-
stantly to reduce the soil to
solid, hard mass from which it is
difficult for plants to obtain food,
and in which cultivated plants
can not thrive. To correct this
the farmer breaks up the ground
with his plow; this leaves it in large
masses; these masses must be reduced
to fine earth and then compacted. This
the farmer can do (make firm seed
bed) by literally using the harrow,
drag and roller. But if he can call in
the aid of the elements, all the better,
for they work without wages. Now,
| by blowing early the farmer can gain
| the aid of sun, rain and air in making
| fine, compact soil of the lifeless humps.
As | have already said in a former ar
ticle, by blowing early he will avoid
hard Jumps. As soon asplowing breaks
the ground up into masses the elements
commence their work of disintegration
and solidifying, and this is just what
the farmer wants, for he wants firm
| seed-bed. The action of sun, air and
rain will crumble the clods; and as they
| are reduced to finely divided state,
these same agents will compact them.
These cheap and ever busy workers will
do the work better than the farmer can
with the very best implements and at
the same time save him much labor A
good rain, stiff breeze and q genial
| SNi VIM CIONS WITCH lHG
most that he could do with drag and
harrow would be to make adozen clods
OF that which before was only one. The
earlier the ground is plowed the greater
the opportunity for this work. And
care not how soon the ground is plowed
after harvest, the elements will not
overdo the matter unless it NAV be on
very low ground, in wet season, for
the right sort of a seed bed for wheat is
a solid one. There is hardly posi-
bility of getting it too solid below when
the ground has been plowed after har-
vest The surface stratum to a depth
of two inches should be loose dirt: but
if the winds and rains make itsolid the
farmer can soon loosen it with sharp
toothed or disc harrow.
Perhaps no forward step inwheat
raising has led to greater results than
the change from loose to firm seed
bed. The old practice was to pillow
shortly before seeding and to sow be-
fore the ground had time to pack. 1t
was often noticed that when the ground
was "plowed out" so that the team
turned at the corners upon the plowed
land, tramping it down solid, the best
wheat was raised on the turning row.
| remember that an old farmer and
| vary cnnoaccf111 Hxtb q of ;en,. oa L. -