The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-09-05
The Egis & Intelligencer
DEER CREEK FARMERS CLUB.
How TO Prepare stalk Ground for Wheat
An Interesting, Practical Discussion.

The regular meeting of the Deer Creek Far.
Hlers' Club was held at Highlands" the residence
1SaR r be M on
the chair; r p Moores, Secretary: Besides the
Grace Messrs. Robert L. Morgan, John b. Wy.
song, Geo. Y. Maynadier. S. NJ. Lee, 8. A. vii.
Wilson.
Messrs. wm Webster r. John Rogers and VIM
farm and premises and report to the club but were
unable to make the inspection, in consequence
of the rain. They were familiar with the farm,
however, and reported at 0nce MIR. Webster said
that the farm looked well and everything about
it was done in farmer-like way If he had a
would recommend him 70 send the boy % Mr..
Moores If he could. Mr.. Rogers said Mr.. Moores
might justly be termed progressive farmer, one
farmer we have. He has fine field of corn His
wheat, which yielded 30 bushels, to the acre. Mr.;
Moores regarded as failure. His cattle are well
advanced for cattle which have not been stabbed
or grained He has small but fine flock of sheep
farm all over there are as few foul fence corners
on it as on any farm he knew of. Mr.. Moores had
in the neighborhood. Mr.. Munnkhuysen said
there was really nothing to criticize: Mr. Loeha-
fort as well as profit in farming.
The question selected for discussion was:
How TO PREPARE STALK-GRoUND FOR WHEAT.
Mr.. Mcores said that putting battle-ground in
wheat was COmparutlYGlya new Inl0P. only DUR
ing the last 30 years have farmers thought of do
ing it. His success with battle-ground wheat has
been all the way from to 40 bushels to the acre,
and he thought good deal was yet to be learned
on the subject. The first thing to do is to have
the corn ground clean of weeds and grass, by
of shocking the corn is also important. Most
farmers occupy three rows for their shocks when
two will do, and space be saved for the wheat
His mode of shocking is to take row of corn in
stead of a middle space for the centre of the
shock. Nine rows on each side are cut and car
cd to thn nfrD rn mai pnIn
by teing the corn from each of the rows adjoin-
ing the centre one Thus onl. two spaces are oo,
between the rows, as is usually done, three spaces
are occupied.
ground or not. Some of the best farmers ways
plow. Mr.. Moores instanced Mr.. Hosea Barnes,
who plows stalk ground for wheat an has better
success, perhaps, than any farmer in Hartford
county. Much depends probably, on the kind of
soil, whether heavy or light. light soil might
give better results by merely cultvating it, and
heavy soil by blowing. His experience was that
he had the best wheat where he cultivated the
ground, but he was not satisfied that il is the best
way. He had come to the conclusion that where
battle-ground is cultivated for wheat the early
part of october is the best time to sow. The
land should be stirred as soon as the corn is off,
to get rid of any grass that may be there, and
then stirred again before seeding. He regarded
sows IL bushels to the acre.
VIM. ID. Lee said his plan was to cultivate stalk
ground and drill the wheat in. Its cheaper than
plCwng On whte-oak soil blowing might be
better than cultivating. Fultz wheat having fail
ed or years ago, he has since sowed red wheat.
Thos A. Hays said that last year he sowed
battle-ground wheat in September, on heavy soil.
The most of it was powed, but part of it was put
same nett time. The result was that he had half as
much more wheat where the ground was plowed.
Hewoqld pillow IT, roll with heavy roller and
to work the ground thoroughly when wheat is put
in with cultivator. 1t is inconvenient to work
Robert b. Morgan said he did not SOW much
corn-ground wheat. One year he ran drill over
of phosphate to the acre. Then he went over it
again. drilling the same quantity of seed and phos-
plate. The ground had no previous preparation.
1t was the best wheat he ever raised. If ground
is hard and full of weeds it is better to plowit.
X. Harris Archer said that the land on which he
was reared would do better by cultivating stalk
ground for wheat. 1t is also an incentive to keep
the corn well worked and clean. Even if pretty
dirty it is better to work it thoroughly with
ten inches high and does not disturb them until
the following spring. Then roller is run over
reaper and horse rake. The stalks do not then
interfere with cutting and are not raked up with
the wheat. lie did not think anything is lost by
shocking the corn over three instead of two rows.
1t gives more ground for oats which are handy TO
have. He cuts Is rows together, leaving l5 for
of ground Grass seed is better plowed
ground, and if the field is intended for grass it
and sowed again in wheat and grass.
DR.. w. W. Hopkins said he was not much en-
ny IN rhe NJ he pow
ed and had an indifferent crop. The next time
he shovel-plowed the ground, drilled in the wheat
and again had an INDIFFERENT crop. He sowed the
middle of October.
VIM. Munnikhuysen's experience was like Mr..
Archer's. He had tried both ways and decidedly
preferred cultvating even if the land, is little
filthy. Heavy soil is likely to run together and
pack when plowed, and on light soil cultivating
cheapest that can be raised. He seldom sows
battle-ground in grass, but plows it the following
fall. He had seen but little difference between
late and early sowing on Background. Stir it
well, let it lay and stir it again before sowing
reverse way the cradle went, but where a reaper
is used the stalks should lie with the course of the
reaper. When battle-ground wheat is plowed it
should never be narrowed, but should be heav-
ly rolled and drilled. The plowman should be
careful to take the whole row of stalks and avoid
James Lee always cultvates corn-ground and
drills in the wheat, sowing his entire crop in
September The corn stalks are broken In winter.
rake. Last year his early sowed wheat was the
best. A week ago he would have said Fultz
wheat was the best but he had threshed out some
Russian wheat which turned out well. This year
he will sow 10 acres out of 50 or9O in Russian and
in the yield from stalk ground as compared with
fallow-ground wheat
George Wilson thought farmers made mis-
take in putting in Background wheat by not
working the ground deep enough. He preferred
cultivating to blowing.
he could raise more wheat by blowing than by
cutivating battle-ground for wheat. He rolls the
stalks down before blowing. and applies salt and
kainit to the plowed ground then rolls and drills.
His corn ground is generally covered with man
ure in the spring and turned down, but had got
ten the same results from fields too far from the
barn to be manfred in the spring. The best time
to sow battle-ground is from the 10th to the 18th
of October. Has tried the russian, the Rice and
the Fultz wheat. The Fultz did best the Rice
being the poorest. The Russian stood better
than the Fultz and is latter His average yield
for the last or years has been 30 bushels. He
uses pure bone.
VIM. Webster believed in the thorough Guilt
-
is only one redeeming feature in cultivatng in
stead of blowing stalk ground for wheat, which is,
did not think the experience of two years would
decide anything for or against a mode of farm
ing. because in no two years are the conditions
of climate, &c, precisely similar. He could not
see how so much could be raised by cultivating
as by blowing battle-ground, because in cutivat-
ing you lose the rows where the corn stood. Be-
sides, every time drill tooth strikes corn stalk,
fertilizers and seed are both wasted, and the
wheat can not be cleanly saved. If the field is
moved afterwards 1t can not be done with much
satisfaction. The stalks should be rolled down,
the ground plowed with light two-horse pillow,
Woolsey says he has better results where the
ground is plowed.
which Mr.. Webster replied that rolling would
pack the land sufficiently. The wheat crop re-
quires more tillage before sowing than any other
crop raised. You can raise more wheat by plow-
ing than by cutiyating, and it can be put In with
out extra team. Besides soil will wash less when
powed than when cultivated. Wheat that will
ripen by the LIST of July is the only kind that
be relied on in Hartford. The Fultz had proved
to be the best.
II. John Rogers had tried both cultivating and
blowing background and had come to the con-
clusion that blowing is the better plan, although
wheat will sometimes grow under any circum-
stances. He did not think blowing for wheat
involved great amount of extra labor as COM
pared with cultivating. His plan is to cut the
corn stalks at the ordinary height, while green,
with a sharp hoe. Then there is nothing In
the way of blowing thoroughly. In blowing every
corn row must be turned down. The ground is
then rolled and narrowed. He would drill no
grain without first narrowing the ground. The