Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-06-14
WoodlaTn Far-.nersA club.

Inopoi "" -of INC 81 .EXANp- RIA GAZETTE
Ane June me- eting r,f the Woodlawn
FARMERS Ciuo Jas held at the residence oil
- -. Ma7o' on the SIN inst, President Pier.
son ~ Zee chair. when the minutes were
'eA' It seemed evident from recent occur.
.ences, that D,isapprehension had been
entertained az to the status or state of mind
of that NEUROLOGICAL parsonage who is sup
posed by some to have certain controlling
influence over the weather, anGi modifca-
tion of the views expressed In the report of
last meeting seems necessary. 1t is now
thought best to be very careful about haz.
srding any opinion whatever ON that deli
cate and thresdbare subject. The recent
disastrous flood was theme to be des-
cnpted upon at some length. The question
| was asked, How are we TO shape our opera
| lions to the best advantage, if season Of
drought should follow the excessive wet
| weather? The answer WAS, cultivate frequent.
~ to prevent the EVAPORATION of the present
abundant supply Of moisture in the lower
soil. The general scarcity Of potato bngs in
this neiehborhood was mentioned and
thought by some to he attributable to the
large amount OF rain having prevented the
eggs from patching. Major Elmo stated that
they seemed to b, plentiful in the upper
part of the county where there had proba-
bly, not been go n .uch rain as We had here.
II was thought = some that the conditions
had been fave rable for wheat-rust. Not
much had be6'I noticed except the leaf or
bladerust. + oggy, rather than rainy wealth.
or, is calcu 10 ted to develop it. The consid.
Grafton Of tie wheat prospect reminded MAJ.
lime OF 2.n account recently given Dy
wheat grGwer il he Red River valley OF Da'
kots,, of how it is grown there. After the
Sc ding is done in the spring they 60 right
ID blowing Tor the next years. crop. and the
F., whole season is spent in breaking up except
the time spent in harvesting. One man with
four horses abreast and gang plow will turn
over FIVE acres day. Just as soon as two
inches of the surface is thawed in the spring
the wheat is drilled or narrowed in. The
continued thawing ofthe soil beneath, which
is froz,n to a great depth, furnishes mois-
ture 10 nourisn the plants La digging
we'll in July frozsn ground was encountered
ut depth Of eight feet. When the wheat is
ripe one man with reaper cuts. binds and
! denosits the bundles in piles for shocking,
and one man follows to set itup. Thus two
men can take care of about 200 acres. Then
the threshers come and with their own
teams take it from the shocks, leaving the
farmers at liberty to haul away the wheat
as it is threshed. The machine is set in the
centre of section of about forty acres,
which is a half days work, then moved to
another section and 30 ON. The wagon beds
are tight. 30 as to hold the grain
in bulk, and 1T is hauled to the elevator,
where tackle Is hooked into rings in the
ends of the bed and it is hoisted, dumped
and weighed, In short order, so that the
whole operation is the high, high pressure
eighty miles wide and nearly thousand
miles long, with four parallel railroads and
the river through It's length whose whole
business nearly is the transportation of
wheat. With this, in addition to all the
other immense area in the great wheat
growing States, is 1t any wonder that wheat
is low and not a remuneTatlve crop when
grown in the East with our old methods OF
handiing2
The next meeting will be held at John
BalIenger's on the 9Th of July.
W. GILLIEGHAM. Secretary.