The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-08-17
RISING SUN, CECIL COUNTY, MD, FRIDAY, AUGUST II
Mulching with Straw.

n correspondents gives MS experience
in the Country Gentleman in mulchine
wheat with thin coat of straw:
"Well last fall, just before winter sci
in, | took notion to try mulching with
wheat straw portion of this poor ex.
posed spot. We drew over and spread
on about half Of it very light coat oi
straw; not enough even to hide the
wheat, which was small and feeble
owing partly to the fact that the ground
was almost as dry as powder. We took
pains to spread this very evenly. Two
or three times in the spring went over
to see if the wheat was any better where
the straw was put on, and failed to see
that it was much if any. This spot is
where do not have occasion to go ex.
cept on purpose, and thinking that the
straw mulch was failure I staid away
and paid no more attention to it.
"Soon after wheat headed out we had
a great storm, and when the boys turn.
ed the horses out after supper I told
them to go over by the back part OF
the wheat field and see that the fence
was all right. When they came back
my son says: why pa, did you know
that wheat was ever so much better
where we put the straw? One can see
it in the night 1t was then, dark So
over l went, in the morning, and sure
enough, one could trace to an inch just
where the straw was without looking at
the ground. 1t was quite fair wheat
for such land and such a season, while
the rest Of the spot had nothing on
worth speaking of.
"Looking closely I soon discovered
another thing, and this was that there
was heavy, rank growth of young
clover, from seed sown in the spring,
on the mulched land, and very feeble
and thin growth ON the rest of this
poor, bleak land. To-day you may
stand off SO rods, on hill that over
looks this field, and you can see this
mulched portion looking green and
thrifty, and the rest, as viewed from
this distance, almost entirely bare. You
would certainly think that ten or more
loads of manure had been spread on
this land instead of halt a load, perhaps,
Of dry straw. How on earth did so
much benefit come from this very slight
covering? There is SO little straw now
that it does not half cover the ground.
You might walk across the field and
not notice it."
If farmers could be persuaded to
prepare their yard manure in such
manner as to enable it to be spread on
top after. the wheat had been sown, they
would derive an immediate benefit
from it in the wheat crop which they
do not receive, and what is perhaps
still more important, be almost sure of
well set grass crop to snccede the
wheat. A great deal of the manure is
lost by the practice commonly in use
of blowing the manure under. The
majority Of the most intelligent farmers
are we'll aware of this but plead several
reasons for practicing the more objec.
tionable mode. The first and main
reason for spreading and plowing down
the manure is, that the straw and stalks
in it choke the harrow and drill when
on the the surface and make it difficult
if not impossible to do the work prop
erly. 1t would pay largely to take the
necessary means to circumyent this OBJ
lection by procuring straw cutter that
would chop the straw, used for bed
ding, into short pieces three or four
inches in length. This would make
better bedding and the manure would
be in condition to spread evenly and
work in from the surface of the plowed
ground or spread on top as mulch
after the field has been seeded. A
manure spreader could then be used
and the manure made to cover the
whole field as thin mulch, serving as
a great protection to the young wheat
from the winter and spring winds and
fertilizer that would feed the young
roots at the time they needed nourish-
ment most.
Z7z LOG CABINS can