Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-10-25
Wheat and It's Culture.

New England Farmer.
Something more than two-thirds Of
the wheat grown in the United States
is of the Winter variety, and in the
large extent of country where Winter
wheat is an important crop, prepara>
tions for seeding should now be in ac>
tive progress. While it is not consid>
cred necessary to take a whole season
in preparing the seed bed for wheat,
there is the same necessity for getting
it in the best possible condition. The
difference between former practices and
present methods is that knowing now
by experience what is required, farm
ers are able to accomplish the desired
result with less waste of time.
The land must be clean. Not only
do live weeds choke the wheat but
dead weeds cumber the ground, and
when plowed under make the soil so
porus that it abserbs vast amount of
water in Fall and Winter, which,
freezing and thawing, expands the soil,
snaps the roots and throws the wheat
plant on the surface. 1t is in the fact
that heavy clay soils are only slightly
pervious to water that their advantage
in holding wheat roots consists. Farm
ers sometimes say that the roots get
firm hold SO that they cannot be thrown
out. No matter how firm the hold
the roots may get, frost will break
them though they were tenfold as
strong as they are. A good growth of
wheat is help, not by making the
roots go deeper, but by covering them
SO that they will be partially protected
from sudden freezing and thawing.
Under sod, frost never penetrates so
deeply, and when once frozen early in
the Winter the soil does not thaw I'M
til Spring. A close matted growth of
wheat, completely covering the roots,
is in this respect very like sod.
One of the important points in wheat
culture is to obtain a large spreading
but not tall growth of the wheat plant
in the Fall. This will insure a similar
condition of the wheat roots, while a
tall growth, not spreading, indicates
that the roots have struck downward
rather than pushing out horizontally
near the surface. 1t is desirable to Sc
cure a large leaf growth in the Fall,
provided ii be Of the right kind. In a
wet, cool season wheat makes such q
growth. In hot weather, especially il
dry, the thrifty appearance of wheat j;
no indication at all of its probable con
dition the subsequent Spring or of the
yield at harvest. Hence there is 6
great variety of opinions among farm
ers as to the advantage of large growth
in the Fall, those who have secured
it of the right character deeming il
very important, while others say they
can succeed just as well to SOW very
late and let the plant barely make it
appearance before Winter.
There is no invariable rule as to thu
date for sowing wheat. 1t is far bet
ter to be governed by the weather. 81
long as it continues dry and hot whea
should not be sown, no matter if sucl
weather continue until October. Blu
after heavy rain or a succession o
rains, followed by cooler weather (anC
all the better if there has been som,
frost) it is safe to SOW wheat. Thi
may come, as it did in many localitie
a year ago, early in September. 1t
after early wheat seeding under sucl
conditions that the largest and bes
crops of wheat are grown. The Win
ter wheat crop this year is general.
f conceded to be very large, although
the Winter was everywhere UNUSUAL,
/ severe. The fact is owing to the fs
| vOrohla c,rO,utb Of tbo rubaas ,,l,,.