Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-07-24

THURSDAY, JULY "A, 1854.
NATIONAL TICKET.
President-JAMEs G.BLAINE.
Woe President-JoHN A. LOGAN.
COUNTY TICKET.
Oheriff-ERANK G. STIDHAM.
Ooroner-CHARLEs K. SPARKS.
wheat Growing. FL
Tie season Of the year has come
az ain when farmers are breaking upl
their ground and preparing 1t for wheat
sowing. As general thing oats stub
BILE ground is used for that purpose,
though in many instance clover sod is
used and frequently early corn ground.
The farmers with average sized farms,
say from 1870 to 160 acres. generally
SOW from fifteen to twenty acres of
wheat. To prepare this ground for the
seed is no little trouble. The plough
ing and the narrowing, preparatory
preparations for the reception of the
manure, are laborious operations, and
usually take up a couple of weeks of
time, according to the force used. Then
comes the manure hauling, always a
laborious process of labor. In our
younger days, when we worked upon
farms, we had more of dread of ma
nure hauling, and spreading it over the
broken up fields, than of any other labor
connected with farming. Even to this
day while there are patent plows, patent
harrows, patent drills, patent every
thing nearly connected with farming,
there has been no patent plan for load
ing up and hauling out LLanure. But
then every thing connected with "a
wheat crop Is all right down hard bone
labor. However, farmers are glad that
they have plenty of manure to use, and
this thought hghtens 10 a certain degree
the labor of toll The disposition is to
make the manure 60 too far, TO make
1t spread over too much ground. In
deed the disposition from the start, is
in our opinion to cultivate too much
ground in wheat, trusting to the season
to mature it, There is too much of hap
hazard manner of sowing wheat crop.
Many farmers know that they have put
too much ground in wheat. They
know that much of it is not sufficient
ly manfred 10 mature crop. But
they trust to chance and sometimes &c
Providence.
It,perchance, the season is just right
not too much dry nor too much we,
weather, it will probably pay expenses
but if not there will be that much los,
and that is all there is III it. If il
brings ten or fifteen bushels per acre al
right if less we will have to put III
with it.
1t strikes us that there Is too much O
this hap-haZZard kind OF farming done
the ouly sure result oil il being plenty @
hard labor and poor pay. The yield c
wheat this year has been fine one.
has been one OF the years when chanc
was on the side OF the farmer and fror
ordinary ground he gathered twent
bushels OF wheat per acre. This at
dollar bushel makes twenty dollar
an acre. This twenty dollars has t
pay for all the labor, the ploughing, til
narrowing, the hauling OF manure,
any was used, the drilling, the harvest
ing, the threshing and the marketln
of the crop.
Out OF this must be deducted til
price OF the seed wheat, 50 an acre d
least. Can it be possible that there
any profit IN wheat farming al thi
rate 1t is true the farmer has a littl
morsel Of straw left III addition to Iii
wheat, but with it all the debtor side {
10 LODI, ba, H., i.
credit side.
Now, what is to be done to insui
larger crops OF wheat and "a larger re
turn in money to the farmer
Plainly to cultivate less ground, pr
1t in better order, manure it better, SO
less seed on an acre, and larger Gro
will be insured. Recent expert mem
by DIR. Greenleaf and others Of sciei
tiiic and experimental turn of min
show conclusiyely that at least for.
and as high as eighty bushels of whe
can be raised to an acre, and VII
much less expense ia the way OF ma
ual labor and seed. If these results e.
be reached, and we know they ca
with 50 little labor and expense, it
time farmers would wake up TO the il
portance the subject demands. If tif
bushels of wheat can be raised from I
acre at peck of seed TO the acre, VIII
lis the use vi cultivating two acres Al
sowing four bushels OF seed to raise
like number of bushels?
Farmers would do themselves gre
favor if they would make these expe
ments in wheat growing themselv'
and they will know for themselves til
Improvements can be made 1t
quires but little time and little e
pense. An eighth of an acre will
all the ground required, less will Z
ground is an object. OF course t
ground should be rich and well pr
verified. Less than a quart OF awht
will plant the patch, though it wou
be advisable to use several varieties
wheat. One grain of wheat, six incl
apart will stool out and complete
cover the ground-indeed, DIR. Gree
leaf plants his foot apart and t
ground becomes completely covere
some of the grains sending out as hi
as 70, 80 and 80 stools.
Only think OF one grain of whe
producing ninety large heads Of whes
These are things which every farm
can know for himself if he will
start this season and in proper seas
his experimental wheat growing pat,
1t will not do to say that these expe
ments of how prolific and profitable
wheat crop can be made, are IN
theories, with nothing solid to supp
i L