Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-08-06
AZ RICU L T UR L
THE MANAGEMENT OF WHEAT STUB.

/
For several years past this paper ha
Opposed the, popular method in tn
treatment Of wheat and rye stubbles
The plan has been to turn the cows il
AZ soon az the grain Is removed and al
low them to have the run of the stub
bles mCst all the remainder of the Sol.
son. The practice has been opposed
for two reasons. First, because thu
Dung grass is seriously injured ant
tie subsequent production of hay cur
tailed and second, because it is an in
jury to the land and bad farming. Bott
of these points have been discussed
and clear case made out. 1t is en-
conraging to see that some farmers are
adopting the more enlightened practice
Of not pasturing the stubbles, and il
looks as If their example and the re.
suit of their practice would go far to-
ward enforcing the method of non pas.
flurage.
l, IL not the intention at present to 70
over the arguments but to state briefly
the correct method of treating the wheat
and rye stubbles. The machine should
be set so AZ to cuta stubble eight or tsn
inches high. As soon az practicable
after the grain is out of the way the
moving machine should be put in and
the stubbles and any grass that may be
growing up in them cut down tolerably
low, and left where II falls, and the tai
Ter 'he stubble the better,as il will make
better mulch and the better protect
the roots of the young grass against the
scorching heat and drought Of August
and September.
Az soon as the moving is done, a
bushel of plaster per acre should be
sowed and then leave the young grass
10 take care of itself 1t will not be
long until beautiful carpet of thick set
young clover will be seen to cover the
ground and hide all traces of the dry
stubbles that had been left az a mulch.
The young grass will grow rapidly and
come out in bloom by the 10Th of Sep
tember, when 1t is to be moved again,
and except on thin spots Of the field re-
moved for litter, and another light
busting of plaster applied and the bars
kept up. The grass will make another
good growth before the frost kills it
and will make a blanket that will en-
trap and hold nitrogen and secure the
roots of the grass against heaving under
the freezing and thawing of the winter
and succeeding spring and give crop
of hay next year that will make you
open your eyes.
There are many advantages connec-
ted with such method that can scarce
ly BIZ believed until they are seen in
practice. 1t is only necessary to keep
the cattle off the stubbles and treat
them as here suggested, to double the
fertility and productiveness of farm
in ten years, provided all the tillage
land is similarly treated. The average
farmer thinks he cannot afford to treat
his stubtle land in this way and must
have the grass for The cows. This is a
mistaken idea, and if he will change
his method by furnishing soiing food
for the cows andkeeping them off the
tillage land he will soon see that that
is the right thing aud the best thing to
do.
There is in fact not a great deal of
for cattle in the bitter young
clover any way. They don't ike it
short pasture to ealing the Young clio.
YER which besides being unpalatable
does not make good milk. There is
often a good deal of ra,-weed in the
wheat stnbbIe which il bitter enough
to make moor bitter milk, which makes
hitter bu,ter and cheese. The cows
are better nourished and will give
more and better milk iftbey are reeu-
larlv and snt,ir;.n,lv led ON green corn
and n ANAL amnpnt of iii feed than
when nasturaI nm the wheat stubhles
There mr.. ,haratnre many aIvan.
tages in treating the strbbles as here re-
none Of which are theoreti-
cal. but every one of them capable oil