The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-08-30
Wheat Culture.

|
vegetable life, wheat is susceptible Of
wonderful degree, of development whe
subject to careful and judicious manage
ment. Though it has been cultivated as
cereal for several Thousand years it is NOR
than probable that it originally sprun
from a variety Of weed as apparentl
worthless as was the prOgenitor OF the gal
den plant that now bears in abundance til
luscious tomato. There is q plant foun
| in the neighbOrhood OF the Mediterranean
sea, to all appearance as worthless as tn
weeds of the sea shore, that by careful
culture has been developed into afine spec
linen of this invaluable cereal. This make
| it's origin fairly conclusive, and shows tina
| it is the nature of the wheat plantto boun
| tifu1ly respond to the skill and industry o
men.
| Next to rice it is the cereal now mos
| extensively used rs food for man, and il
raised in more or less abundance from TIL,
Torrid to the Frigid Zone. 1t is finch
adapted to the season and climate Of Viz
glnia, and is the most remunerative agri
cultural staple produced within her con
fines. Virginia wheat, too, has advantage
over that of almost any other. Whel
manufactured, unlike other flour it is no
injured by the hot and humid air OF TIT
tropical seas, and without damage can b,
shipped to any region Of the globe. Vir
ginia farmers should give it's culture par
ticular attention. They should carefully
study it's nature and the character of theil
soil and then judiciously apply the knowl
edge thus acquired. If this were done, il
but comparativelyla. short time the present
yield per acre would be more than doubled
and that too with little expense, for nature
is always extremely liberal with hel
thoughtful and industrious sons. There
are certain requisites wheat farmers must
keep constantly in view and upon which
they must thoughtfully act in order tC
meet with the highest degree of success
They must ascertain by careful observa
ton and experimenting the best time fol-
seeding. Wheat, they must remember
has. it's own natural time for seeding
which, in this latitude, is during the
months of August and September, but it
is chiefly during the latter month that
healthy wheat plants give up their seed to
the soil. 1t is the experience Of the most
successful grass growers that the best
time to sow grass seed is during the season
the respective varieties of grasses seed fol
themselves. 1t is unqueStlonably like
wise with reference to wheat. Our eX-
perience is that wheat SOWn bare during
the month of September will yield as much
per acre on average land one year with an
other, as when soWn with fertilizer after
the tenth of October. But fey farmers
sow during the natural seeding season.
From neglect OF want of hands their seed
ing is frequently delayed until late III Dc
tober. They then sow quantity OF Ter
tilizer and the next harvest gather but lit
tie if any more grain than it they had
sown their wheat bare at the proper sea-
dc of dollars UpQFIV
lost to the farming community.
Another thing Of great Importance COM
monty overlooked by our farmers is the
quality and variety OF their seed. 1t should
always be the largest grains and the best
quality. Drouth will not be so likely then
to injure it in the process OF termination.
1t will always come up better and produce
a more healthy and vigorous growth than
if the seed is of an inferior grade. Par
ticular attention should also be paid to Sc
Letting the varieties best adapted to the
various soils and localities. The same
variety should not be sown OH the same
kind of soil for any great length OF time,
and if it is soWn it should have been raised
on q soil altogether different III character.
Now, to produce the best yield the soil
must be in a fine mechanical condition
and contain an abundance OF the elements
WHlCI ullO DCl1CCU uCfClOIiiiSiAo VI WY
wheat plant demands. Besides this it is
necessary that the elements Of the soil be
in condition peculiarly suited to the
growth of the plant and perfectly available.
If the soil is deficient OF even poor III any
of the wheat elements they must be artl-
ficially supplied. But if such elements are
held by the soil in an inert state 1t Will al
ways be found most feasible to dlslnte-
CRATE them by exposure to the seasons Oh
to decompose them with burnt lime Oh
with some other caustic applications. When
the food which the wheat plant de-
mands is not available in sufficient guam
tity the plant will always be delicate Oh
weakly and the easy prey OF insects. The
Hessian fly, so much feared by farmers;
rarely ever materially damages healthy
growth of wheat. However, when farm
ers see their wheat sickly in an early stage
of its growth, they nearly always at
tribute it to the fly because seen on the
plant, Just as it is a custom to say without
reasoning that a calf is sickly because 1t is
lousy. But every tyro in cattle raising
knows that calves properly attended 70
will not become lousy. So likewise with
the wheat plant. If planted in the natural
season and supplied with the necessary
food it will not be infected with the lily.
Hence, as a surety against fly and other
evils the soil should be in condition nat
ural to the plant and supplied with an
abundance of food available for it's perfect
development. The question very naturally
arises by what means can the soil be thus
prepared. We answer by a rotation OF
crops; by the most thorough mechanical
preparation !; by fertilizing with natural
and artificial manureS.
We will now proceed to consider the
Of 1NrorOornt and rnSIltS
For the soil to produce avigorouS growth
of any of the varieties Of the vegetable
kingdom and at the same time an abundant
yield of fruit OF corn, the nutritive ele
ments must be in condition peculiar
to the variety OF growth.
If one species be grown exclusively fol
any length of time on the same soil il
NAV succeed well for while, but at length
sickens and finally dwindles away and dies
This is because of the exhaustion of the
available life-giving properties lndlspensa
BILE to the growth OF this variety OF plant
But nature has so ordained that the growth
of any one species of the vegetable king
dom. while it exhausts the elements
peculiar to itself, always makes the sol
prolific of the life-giving properties pc
culiarly suited for the nutrition OF SOME
other variety of plant. Nature thus
teaches that rotation is one OF her all I'M
portant lawsa In her wilds she always
enforces the system OF plants variety O
growths in order to maintain the just ele
mental equipoise of the soil. She alst
never fails to plant the variety most pc
culiarly adapted to her respective SOILS
| What a lesson to farmers, so many O
whom unsuccessfully plod through thei
whole lives in an old beaten path, whereas
! by little practical observation ant
thoughts on nature they might just as wei
! have been in a condition to ''stand before
| kings'' The most intelligent farmers ant
| gardeners bear testimony that system O
rotation in crops is Indispensable to sue
cess in either agriculture OF horticulture
| Glover two wears, then corn, followed VI
with oats or wheat, and closing the rounC
| with, wheat the fifth year, is the rotation
most highly recommended by all expert
enced farmers. A perfect round is thu
completed every five years, and anothe
prepared for by saving the land While Il
| last wheat crop with clover or some othe
variety of grass that may be found, in SOM
cases. better suited to the respective SOIL
| This.round is always feasible except OF
/ hilly ground, where on account OF Wasnln
| it is generally best to omit corn. Bu
where land is liable to wash and nudge
i nous to blue grass, it is the best OF all
4 keep in a permanent sod.
The most thorough mechanical prepare
ton is necessary to success III Whea
culture, as with all other crops, no matte
what may be the natural tertlllty OIL I'll
l l. 10 ho M