Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-12-28
SPRING GRAIN IN WINTER WHEAT.
Tho Question of Its Dcsirability Questioned
by We'll Known Authority.

The Question of Its Dcsirability Questioned
by n We'll Known Authority.
The American Cultivator gives express
sion to the following views on spring
grain in winter wheat
Where winter wheat has been sown
after spring grains, more or less of tho
latter will be scattered on the ground and
will come up with the wheat. The first
severe frost kills the intruder, and often
gives wheat fields a brown and serc APP
pearance early in the winter. Most farm
ers are agreed that the spring grain is no
advantage to the wheat at any time. 1t
is weed, checking the growth of the
main crop, and of no particular value as
a protection against severe cold. Some
Illinois farmers, when they began winter
wheat growing a few years ago, took
pains to SOW oats with winter wheat,
thinking this might prove protection,
but one or two years trial satisfied most
of them that their experiment was a
mistake.
That a good growth of the wheat plant
itself is desirable is generally conceded,
but it is less because of the protection
that bushy top of leaves affords, than
because this growth shows a like habit of
the roots beneath the surface. If the
top is low and spreading the roots also
extend horizontally on either side, hold
ing to the soil and ready to rise or fall
as it is moved by alternate freezing and
thawing. II is impossible to get wheat
growth that shall protect the newly cul-
tivated soil beneath it from freezing. 1t
is not cold that kills wheat, but rather
the breaking of roots that penetrate the
soil vertically. The wheat roots are more
apt to run downward when the plant is
crowded by weeds of any kind than
where it has room to spread on either
side. Thus too thick seeding with wheat
may cause it to winter kill The plants,
instead of protecting, crowd and injure
each other.
Spring grain not being hardy, has a
further injurious effect. AS we have eX-
planned, the first severe freezing kills
oats and barley outright. The leaves
wither and rot down. The roots lose
their grip and are thrown upon the sur
face. All this loOsens the soil, which for
winter wheat needs to be as compact as
possible, 50 as to exclude superHuous
water The soil soon fills with water
like a sponge, and when II freezes it in
evitably heaves up much of the wheat
imbedded in it.
Since the introduction Of binding
harvestcrs, there has been much less
wastago of spring grain 10y scattering in
the field. We believe that this is better
for the ensuing wheat crops. If dry
weather follows the summer grain har-
vest, the scattering grain lies on or in
the ground until about the time for
wheat sowing, and both come up to-
gether. With wet weather following the
harvest, there is time for the fallen grain
to terminate. and be cultivated under as
a manure. 1t is worth more for this use
than for any other, and it is commonly
better to delay seeding until this scatter
ing growth can be cultivated under,
though this may make the seeding later
than to SOW early, and have the wheat
choked down by a foreign growth.
There is considerable value in the young
grain as a fertilizer, but little or none as
protection against freezing.