Connecticut western news., 1884-01-09
VIM. SARDAM ON TOBACCO.

Editor NeuS:-The tobacco raisers Ire now getting their crops in readiness 70 deliver and as 1t is great item in Connecticut farming 1t becomes farmers to consider and think over the expert ence of themselves and others in raising toba, co. I will let others talk about the moral side of the question and go .or the regular profits realized in raising the crop.
 have never raised it because l have looked at it as business ruinous to tie wish my brother farmers well who raise it and as long as do not compete with them in the market they can find no fault
 I find it hard to say what we shall raise to make money and get living from. Nothing great or wonderful can be produced upon our farms-excelt taxes.
 It is my opinion that the state this day would be better off by millions of dollars, If every dollar expended and lays work laid out in raising tobacco lad been used in raising spring or winter wheat where it would not winter kill. Why take wheat as a crop to raise is the fact that extra cultivation IS needed ill raising each. If wheat had been raised the land would in most cases have been followed with seeding and another order of farming through out the state. Tobacco uses up the fertilizers and robs all other crops with out leaving anything to use on the land.
 I am not pattern for all to COL from, but will say few words about raising wheat.
 Every farmer that uses manure freely has some part of his oat crop lodge in growing so that it kills out the clover and grass that is sowed with the oats and the latter does not yield we'll or the heads fill. Now I manure anl fertilize heavy for the corn crop and where I know the oats will lodge I SOW spring wheat and if did not sell some of my crop for ceed I would not have to buy any flour for my large family.
 The clover and grass always grow better after wheat than any other crop. I have had wheat and oats in one lot and wh ere wheat was sowed the clover was thick and a good growth, but on tlie end where the oats were sowed 1t was complete failure. One year I sowed wheat and oats-three acres of each-divided the lot equally, threshed by machine and had the same number of bushels of wheat and oats. The oats lodged and the wheat stood up. One year stacked my wheatand it grew so a. to hurt 1t for flour. I lost nothing 1 then-or not much-for l fed it to my horses one bushel of wheat is as good 1 as three of oats to feed.
 Most of our farmers can raise wheat by taking my plan. It wants to be sowed as soon as the frost is out of the SlOuuIt III lIlS SPI4hS hCt' ihlS pICSeS should be plowed in the fall and the best oats to yield I ever h. d Was when I plowed the land in November.
 The greatest trouble have is in the ! fouriug. Our mlllers do not grind as they do at the West Mir Abbott at Ashley Falls makes q fair article of flour Give him enough wheat to get his mill cleaned of other grain and his flour is good enough. I have raised 40 | bushels to the acre, never less than 10, often 20 and once 100 from three acres, the next year 60 from four acres. Thes e 1 yields are from the Bearded Amber (not quite red) spring wheat. This last spring I sowed one acre of a new kind, -Beardsley's White Dacotah. It is not white in colour, but is of a reddish or yellow cast, It is a good variety and ought to be tried in this region and see if we have a good thing
 My views on tol acco and wheat raislng are only the views of one among many, but what is for my interest Is u. 2 for the interest of many anl if ever one