Daily Republican., 1884-01-08
Wheat Raising Tests.


The experiments made by DIR. Il.
Gree1leaf, In tests made to show d
proliHcacy of certain varieties of whea
published in another column OF the X
PUBLICAN, but shows what can
done In wheat growing in Delaware
proper care and attention.
That over one hundred aud thir1
bushels Of wheat can be grown on
single acre is something apparent
hard to believe by those who are pc
fectly satisfied if they gather twent
bushels on an average, but the Doctt
has demonstrated the fact that it ca
be done.
A representative of the REpUBLIcA
saw his wheat when it was shootin
into head and we were convinced ther
: that If not injured by adverse weathe
elements, he would gather in the neigh
borhood Of a hundred bushels per acre
The plan followed in the test and tn
results which followed are al! trrsel,
and infinitely set forth in the Doctor
report to the Rural New Yorker, ant
which we have taken the liberty to re
produce.
This test goes to show that there is
great deal of hard labor performed by
farmers not only in Delaware, but in
other States as well, for nothing. Fol
INSTANCE, suppose that the labor need
ed to cultivate ten acre field of wheat
and to gather and save crop of two
hundred bushels, all told, should be
concentrated in, say, three acres, what
a vast amount of labor and expense for
phosphates aud manures could be saw
cd. Three acres by the Doctors tests
would be made to produce much more
than two hundred bushels, but we have
chosen to have wide margin of diff
ference in order to be sure that we are
right and to show how easily wheat
crops might be increased sixty.six
and two.thirds per cent at least.
No doubt there are many who upon
reading these tests, will hastily say,
Oh, yes, but the Doctors ground was
good"
Why OF course it was good, but not bet
ter than the generality of wheat ground
can be made. Had we been asked to
pass an opinion when we saw his
ground we would have pronounced it |
too sour and heavy, but he tells what
he did to put it in proper condition and
1t will be seen by comparison that there
are hundreds of farmers who put more
on their ground to make it prod uce
twenty bushels to the acre than DR.,
Greenleaf put on his to produce such
astounding results
These tests go to prove that our
farmers undertake to do too much, and
tina little farm we'll titled can be
made Immensely more profitable than a
large one indifferently titled. Too much
OF the labor efforts of Delaware farmers
have run into big farms instead of into
BE cops. The man who has a fifty
acre farm titled properly and kept in
sood productive order, something after
Or. Greenleafs experimental test plan,
iced not envy a neighbor with three
hundred acres that he has not the timel
lor ability to improve, and which pro- !
luces from fifteen to twenty bushels of
Wheat. and from twenty five to thirty
bushels of corn per acre.
We will run the risk of being laughed {
L when we say that there are hundreds {
farmers In Delaware that are grow I
ng poorer every day, because they il
lave more land than they can manage !
advantage. They fritter away their
norts and money in an attempt to pro. I
uGe on the three hundred acres what a
hey can with much more ease and lass !
Expense produce on fifty acres. A great 5
laIy persons are called farmers who r,
'ouid De more properly named land a
taopcrs' Inc money that should be 81
1eIt in enriching small farm is 4,
luandered in purchasing other poor ii
rms, and thus the whole is kept poor. is
we are glad that DR.. Greenleaf, right Il
ere in our midst, where We all know II
I'm anu where we can all see his ope. ia
'tions, has made these tests, because J.
icy show what Delaware soil can he Y
ade to produce, and they show con Fl,
uslvely how much hard labor is N
rown away in fruitess Efforts to raise >,
rye crops by inditf~rently cultivating :,
rye areas of poor ground. We have
vi too much expansion in our farming -,
'eratlons. Contraction il what We -,
'ed not ten acres To produce two
inbred bushels of wheat but two '
res, at the farthest not more than ~
rec to produce the same