The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1884-06-28
PROGRESSIVE FARMIxG.

hs ahd instructive chapter, de-
scriptive of the planting methods
of Col. Stokes, of Bolivar county.
We herewith reproduce extracts
therefrom, whose statements
should prove beneficial to many
planters seeking to improve thier
/ planting pursuits:
"The first and most striking 90.
ject in sight-and we wish every
planter in this valley could see ii.
not as described in these pages.
but with his own eyes-isa
LUxURIANT WHEAT FIELD
covering two hundred broad acres
just behind the levee. We know
a good many in the Delta who up
on beholding it would doubt the
testimony of their eyes, imagining
that BY some sort of hocus pocus
they were being imposed upon. or
else that they had been, by some
mysterious process, transported
some hundreds of miles up the
river, perhaps in their sleep, and
that the waving grain before them
was up in Illinois and not in Mis-.
sissippi at all. Nevertheless the
fact remains that the wheat is in
Mississippi, and in Bolivar county,
on the Sunnywild plantation, and
we are not giving our readers a
fairy story, but plain unvarnished
facts.
In 1877 Col. Frank White, of
Memphis, suggested to Mr.. Stokes
that he make an inexpensive ex.
pertinent in wheat by sowing
peck to the acre during the first
three days In October. This sug.
gcstion was acted upon more in
! the hope of getting some Winter
pasturage than harvest. A peck
to the acre was broadcasted over
a forty acre field that had just
yielded its crop Of corn and cot.
ton. There was no plowing, no
breaking of any kind. The peek
to the acre was simply scattered
on the surface. 1t came up vigor-
ously and afforded excellent gra-
zing during the Winter to the
4 half dozen head of cattle that
were kept on it constantly till
about the 10th of March, by which
time 1t had "stooledn so well that
he concluded to clear off the
stalks and save the wheat for har.
vest. At harvest time he cut it
with old.fashioned cradles and
threshed il with cheap, unim-
proved thresher. The yield was
nine bushels to the acre. Now
bear in mind that only a peck to
the acre had been sowed, on
ground that had never been
scratched, and that it was closely
grazed all Winter. But the most
, surprising result of all remains to
be told. A shipment of this wheat
was made to Harlow, Spencer q
Reed, of st. Louis, who sold it for
$1.05, which they wrote him was
an advance Of five cents on what
the best wheat in that market
was bringing at the time, and this
was paid, to quote from their let
ter ION account of the superior
excellence of grain" This exper
! iment settled at least one ques
tion, to-wit, that wheat would
reach a perfect maturity in the
Delta.
Owing to various hinderina
causes Mr.. Stokes was prevented
from planting any moro wheat till
last Autumn, although he was
: meanwhile making an exhaustive
study of the scientific literature
: of wheat culture. The result o.
/, these Investigations was indicated
when he put two hundred of bis
E best acres in that cereal. The
lground was prepared for seeding
by being broken Though but
once) with Deere & Mansur's Gil
pin sulky plows. The breaking
was followed by Kalamazoo har
rows and an iron roller. AS fas'
as the ground was prepared thu
wheat was sown with an improved
Hoosier drill. OF the seed used
one hundred bushels was "Whit'
= Chaff," the balance "Red Chaff''
both being bearded varieties, an'
!. fvom one to two bushels was pu
r on an acre according to the sup
T posed strength of the. soil. Th'
: drill was started for the first TIM
on November |, but did not finisl
: its work till December 20--a mem
\ orandum of the date upon whicl
each cut was sowed having beel
preserved. The field was grace
By sheep all Winter.
i At the date Of our visit, Ma.
!. 29-31. the wheat on the fields frs
sown was heavily headed up ant
beginning to ripen. 1t had entire
lily escaped rust, Notwithstanding
*ho .,,.f.xorahlc Weather. and wa