Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-08-04
EsSax an Wheat culfnra

Mr.. II. ;. Hoover read an essay on wheat
culture. He held the production of wheat
to be most important industry in which
man can engage. To produce a good crop
the farmer wants good land, with
good drainage, good manure and
thrive ON low lands or on clayey soil, but
the latter may be greatly improved by a
liberal application OF lime and sand. Barn
yard manure is the best, and TO this should
be added, the rich washing of earth, greer
weeds, cut before they run TO seed, and other
offal, all of which should be composted in
the manure pile. Only the best varieties of
seed should be sown, and the seed bed
should be prepared by narrowing so as to
leave tho ground clear of clods. The wheat
should be drilled in and the drill should
have the regulating roller in front of il to
keep il at the proper depth. He would drill
in the, seed the last week in September and
cut the grain as soon as the kernel
has passed from the milky to the
doughy state. If cut too carly the
the grain loses by shrinkage, and if too late
by portion of the flour being lost in the
bran. Tho old manner of "shocking" the
wheat, which has In great measure been
abandoned, was good practice and he re-
commended it. With our improved farm
machinery we are apt to hurry everything
we cut our grain too soon; carry it to the
tarn too soon; and thresh 1t too soon. The
extensive culture of tobacco in this county
Cduscs w leSlecl tnBlf wheat crop TO
great extent The essayist urged them to
give more attention to the great staple
wheat.
The Essay Discussed.
Joseph G. Wilmer, in criticisIng the essay
said he agreed with the essayist in most
points, but thought he was in error i'm recon-
mending finely pulverized seed-bed. Mr.
Wilmer favored a rather rough seed-bed.
There should be enough fine soil to cover the
seed, but he thought the surface should be
rather rough or only of medium fineness.
Mr. Engle said that in broadcast sowing,
it is well to have the surface rough but this
is not necessary when the wheat is drilled.
Care must be taken to drill it in yery shallow.
not more than an inch. He has drilled both.
with and without the drill regulators and
found that which was drilled with the repu-
lator produced the best crop.
Mr.. Wickersham said that i'm a money
sense, hay and cotton were more valuable
than wheat; in a food sense, rice is a much
more valuable crop and more people live on
it than live on wheat
Mr.. Hoover maintained that wheat was a
better crop than rice, and does more good to
the race than any other product.
III. M. Engle said that wheat was claimed
to contain the elements of food in better pro-
portion than anything elso, and the progress,
OF CIVILIZATION IL measured by its increased
consumption The oats crop and potato crop
and their use is rapidly increasing.
J. @. Lnville agreed with Engle in what
he said about the preparation of the seed bed.
He favored shallow drilling. AS to the time
OF cutting, he heard miller say to-day that
we cut our wheat too green. If we would
let 1t ripen we could raise as good wheat as
they do i'm the West
James Wood said some millers took the
opposite view, and said we do not cut soon
enough. He asked ii the roller had better
be placed after as well as before the drill in
seeding.
Several members gave their experience as
to rolling the ground after the drill, some of
whom approved and some did not. So also
with cutting wheat green or ripe ; some IA
yored early and some late cutting.
MIR. Engle read an essay by j. II. Dodge,
statistician in the department of agriculture
at Washington, in which wheat culture and
other topics were discussed.
The state Board of Agriculture.
Mr. Engle said the state board of agricul-
ture would meet in Lancaster in September
or early in October, and suggested that
efforts should be made to get as many Ian
caster county farmers as possible to attend.
Casper Hitler thought very few of them |
would attend. The failure OF the Farmers |
institute showed that little interest is taken |
In such matters by Lancaster county farmers. |
Dr. Wickersham said he believed a large |
number OF Lancaster farmers would attend |
The meeting OF the state board. He Thought |
also that the Farmers institute was a sue |
,ess and not a failure, and he firmly believed |
he time will come when no building in
Lancaster will be large enough 10 hold the !