Daily Republican., 1884-07-07
n, " % Raise wheat.

Farmers after reading the experiment
tai tests of DR.. r. p. Greenleaf, pub
hshed in another column, in raising
wheat, will be surprised to find that a.
high as hundred bushels Of wheat can
be raised with less labor from an acre
Of good ground than they now expend
in raising twenty-five bushels to the
acre, and at q much less expense.
These experiments go far TO show the
wonderful productiveness Of our soil,
and ut the same time to show that there
has been more of an aim among farmers
to till large quantities Of land than to
oonfine their operations to less land and
more grain.
If an acre Of good wheat ground can
20 easily be made to produce one hun
dred bushels of wheat 1t is folly to use
four acres in producing the same under
the present system of farming. The
labor and cost of blowing, and putting
in order these acres, the cost Of seed
and phosphates for the same, besides
losing the interest Of the cost the first
price of the ground are all thrown away.
At the best only hundred bushels OF
wheat could be raised on four acres
which could as easily be raised on one
acre.
This is not mere pleasing fancy OF
the imagination that deserves only to
be brushed aside with a passing re-
mark. From sixty, eighty, and up to
. hundred bushels Of wheat to the acre,
and more than the latter has been rails
ed by our friend, DR.. Greenleaf. This
we are positive OF, for we have watched
the wheat in growing state, and from
1t made computations, which fully JUS
tify the claim ofraising as high as q
hundred bushels per acre.
Even If farmers could be brought to
30 far adopt such a system Of farming
~ will produce fifty bushels of wheat
per acre, there would be a wonderful
saving in the expense Of purchasing
and maintaining large farms and cult
waiting and keeping the same in order
A farm of 200 acres could at once
be reduced to half that size without
diminishing the crops, and the extra
labor of cultivating large farms would
be saved. This is subject worthy of
che fullest consideration of agricultur-
lists. To those who look upon these ex-
periments as impracticable and Chi
merical, we would ask why it is that
sixty and eighty bushels of wheat per
acre are raised in England and other
European countries where land is
scarce, and there is population Of
over two hundred TO the square mile :?
1t is no unusual thing to find persons
in those countries raising sixty bushels
Of wheat to the acre who do not own a
horse or even hire one. Their work is
done with the spade, the garden rake
and hoe. The wheat is dropped and
covered like corn, and like corn it is
cultivated. Instead of IA grain produ
cling a single slender weak stalk, with
a head of wheat two inches long and
containing dozen grains, it shoves
out from fifty to seventy-fve stalks
each producing head not less thar
four, often seven inches long, and CON
tanning over one hundred grains
There is the whole system in a nuI
shell. 1t does not compare in show tc
a twenty-acre field of yellow waving
straw that leads the farmer to believe
that he has tremendous crop Of wheat
which, when it is garnered, yields hin
eighteen to twenty bushels per acre. i
is in the cereal crops under the presen
system Of cultivation that the farmer i,
not paid for bis labor, Nobody will
pretend to say that twenty bushels o
wheat from all acre of land, sold at
dollar bushel, will pay for the plow
ing, the harrow ing, the drilling, tn,
phosphates and the seed required 70
that acre, and the cost ofthe wear an,
tear of farming utensils and horse flesh
If he gets the straw clear he doe
well, and that is poor pay for the risk
he has to run.
Harvest is now nearly over, and far
mers will be busy in two or three week
preparing their ground for anothe
crop of wheat. 1t will cost them moth
ing to set apart an acre OF so of groun'
to try a new system of raising wheat,
system such as we have indicated
The wheat raised by these experiment
will more than pay for the trouble.
will take some time and attention it
true, but it is worth time and attention
Anything or any system of farmin
that will produce a hundred bushel
of wheat per acre instead of twenty
five bushels, and instead of bein
whistled down by the wind should /
eagerly seized by enterprising and il
telligent farmers, who are not chaine
to the good old times of our fathers, b.
fore the time of railroads, telegraph
grain-drills and reapers.