Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-08-23

Will SuCi lliCllOWJ lIlS sui. luIS0
days after sowed there came, un-
expectedly, a very heavy rain--that
is, the fall for a few minutes was
very heavy. 1t simply came down
in sheets, and it was not possible for
it to soak in as fast as it came;
so it ran in every di~
rection for the lowest spots. In some
places the wheat, earth and all, was
washed out of the drill marks and
carried to the bottom of the slope,
leaving the ridges between the rows
some five inches high. In other
places the drill marks were entirely
filled up. We were particularly sor-
ry for this, as we used a drill with
REGULATORS" on each hoe, to prevent
them from going too deep, and now
we cannot tell much about it, wheth~
er they did good or not. But we
know one thing-they prevented any
of the wheat from being deposited
more than one and a half inches
deep, and that certainly must be a
great advantage.
AS far as we can now judge, the
Outram John Outram, maker, regu-
lator is the simplest and best, as well
as the cheapest. After the rain, the
writer walked around and took in
the situation, unused a little about
not having had heavy rain in five
months, and now it must come just
when it would do the most damage,
and then got some wheat and went
and sowed it by hand over all the
spots that were washed entirely out.
How to cover it was the next thing.
The ground was too soft to put horses
on, anG we were just about to take
one section of the Thomas harrow
and draw it by hand, when we
thought of that little one man har-
row, which we wrote you about, and
which you heard of in the Country
Gentleman last year. We tried it,
aud found that it worked to a charm,
In two or three hours we had cover
ed, nicely, nearly an acre of washed
spots; so the storm did not do us
much damage after all. Some way,
my folks will make fun of that har'
row. When 1 was drawing it the
other day, my man called to me, and
| stopped and says, "Well?" Then
he says: "You want to be careful and
not calk yourself when you are turn
ing around"
The weather was so cool and cloudy
after the storm that the ground die
not bake much, and the wheat il
coming up nicely. A gentleman who
called the day was narrowing sale
he never before saw any drilled
wheat washed out by rain, and hi
had raised wheat for many years
He did not stop to consider that i
was the fine condition of the soil tina
made it wash out. The next morn
ing after the rain, l drove by severa
pieces that had not been worked
down as finely, and no washing haC
been done. The lumpy fields were {
little ahead then, but at harves
time they are not often, unless it b.
that, having lighter crop, tn
grain stands up better.
Mr.. Crane is ahead Of me in on,
respect--that is, rolling after sowing
1 have never done that, but hav,
narrowed with the Thomas harrow
nearly always. This has much tn
same effect as the role
would have, with not quite as mucl
danger from baking, if heavy rail
comes before the wheat gets up. Oh
my soil l had rather roll before sow
ing, but if my crop was not in,
would roll strip and see what tn
result would be. Will remember an,
; try it next year, for it is only b.
being willing to test new ways tina
we can learn the best. l have use
a roller for IS years-ever since
came on to the farmland always TO
ahead of potato drill as well as graf
drill-"the harrow to draw the clod
. to the surface, and the roller to crus
= them" That is the way.
7. B. TERRY.
Summit County, o.
Commercial Fertilizers.