The Russellville Democrat., 1885-12-03
Wheat Sowing.

readers. We hope they may digest and turn it's pungent truths to ac- count, not only on the wheat crop, but on every other crop grown:
 Drouths, storms, and injurious seasons have to be prepared for and evaded in some manner by the exer- else of skillful and timely p-ecau
 tions. It is childish for any of us to say we cannot help this or that ad- verse influence until we have ex
 hausted every possible effort to avoid or nullify 1t. Has this been done in regard to last years crop? It must be confessed that in the great ma jority of cases this has not been done. and that the greater part of the losses are due to the imperfect man ner in which the land has been pre- pared for the crop. Wheat is high | ly cultivated and domesticated plant, and will not bear the rigors of win. ter unless it has every advantage of fertile and we'll prepared soil. With out these it succumbs to adverse conditions of weather, and is easily destroyed. There is no other crop grown that requires better farming than wheat, and it must be confessed that skillful farming Is exceedingly rare. This is proved by every day experience, as well as by the very low average of wheat produced per acre, viz, about eleven bushels in the State of New York, against the pos sible average of twenty seven bush. els in other countries.
 Just now the farmers are prepar- ing for the next wheat crop, and it is timely subject for thought how the dangers to which wheat is sub ject may be avoided and escaped. Let us consider what the wheat crop requires for It's perfect growth and then see how exceedingly rare it is that these requisites are provided. W heat needs peculiar condition of the soil. It should be made very mellow and fine about the seed and below it to a depth sufficient to give room for the roots to spread and take a firm hold. On the surface the soil should be somewhat loose and open and somewhat lumpy, but the Jumps should be small and not so large as to be called c!ods. This condition is only secured by the most careful and thorough working. It requires also soil free from stagnant water, and this is only procured by thor ough drainage. No other crop re quires drainage so much as wheat, and none is more quickly destroyed by the action of frost upon wet soil. The blowing of the soil is the first thing to think about, and this is to be done at the earliest possible mo- ment. IL will not do to leave the blowing for wheat until the week before it is time to SOW the seed. Old farmers were Tn the habit of summer following the land for wheat, and never considered it to be prop erly fitted without two or three blow ings and six or eight harrowings. We are in too great hurry to do this, but "haste makes waste,' and in this respect the proverb is cspec- ially applicable. Moreover, ii the ground is not plowed as soon as IL is ready for the blow the dry weather almost always interferes with or pre- vents the work, and it is done in the worst possible manner and in hur ". The way to avoid this difficulty is to begin in good season and plow the ground as soon as it is cleared of the standing crop. It is one of the evils of our present too short roLa tion that wheat-whlch, as we have said, is the most particular and ex- acting crop--is made to follow oats or corn, and the latter is the worse of the two. Following oats the land is usually well manured and often lined, and if the oat stubblc is blow ed as soon as it IS cleared little or no harm may ensue; but the imme- diate blowing isindispensaDe to the proper fitting Of the ground. One good blowing, with care to turn even tuIIONS dlN tO lOilON Witt lCpSuttN harrowings, and rollings If necessa- ry, or to work the land thoroughly with good pulverizing harrow or some cultivating implement which answers as a blow and harrow and even q roller at once, will make an excellent preliminary preparation. Repeated harrowings will fine and consolidate the soil, working all the mellow earth to the bottom and making a compact and firm scedbed, and bringing all the Jumps, which will be small, to the surface. Then we have the especial conditions which the wheat crop needs, and if the seed is sown by drill, or broad cast and covered with a cultivator or small blow, all that can be done will be done, aud the farmer may then wait with patience, confidence and hope that the ancient promises will be surely fulfilled, viz, that "seed time and harvest shall not fail," and that ''the hand of the diligent shall be filed"
 A few words might he added to call attention to the rarity of this requisite preparation, but it is scarcely needed. Every farmer |. .I..a..i.. ,ko f.n ....a,. .,