Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-08-09
Kart4 &#teFests,
Preparing the Land for Wheat. Use
of the Roller.
Cor. Country Gentleman.

The views expressed by Mr.. Hen
ry Stewart, in the article published
in your journal Aug. 10th, page 62O,
respecting the use of the roller just
before and after seeding wheat, are
so at variance with my experience
that 1 will give you results accom-
plished by pursuing just the opposite
course. In 1854 1 began investigat-
ing the different plans pursued by
the most intelligent farmers both of
England and this country in the cul-
tivation of wheat, found England far
in advance of America in the aver~
age yield per acre, and the plan of
preparing the land to be that of max
ing it as fine and solid as possible
while most of the farmers in our
country that 1 know, advocated
rough tillage and contended that the
clods protected the wheat in winter,
and as the alternate freezing and
thawing in the spring reduced them
to fine earth, the wheat roots that
the frost has thrown out of the
ground were recovered and upon
the introduction of the drill, as it be-
came necessary to have the land bet
ter prepared, so as to furnish suffi-
cient fine earth to cover the seed as
the drill hoes passed through the
ground; it was claimed that the
ridge drawn up between the hoes
would accomplish the same result in
protecting the wheat from winter
killing, as was accomplished by the
clods when the drill was not used.
Now this clod and ridge notion is
all theory. AS the English farmer
did years since, is the proper plan of
preparing the land now-make the
seed bed as fine and solid as possible.
My plan is to have the land well
plowed as early in the summer as
possible, with the best plows 1 can
procure; then harrow and roll, or
roll and harrow, until / have a fine
and compact seed bed, and to give
increased tineness and to prevent the
drill hoes going too deep, | invaribly
roll in advance Of the drill, and as
the drill hoes passing through the
ground draw up a ridge of very fine
earth between them, l roll after the
drill to make the surface equally as
compact as that portion Of the seed
bed under the seed.
l have followed the plan of harrow
ing and rolling in the preparation Of
my land for wheat for 50 many
years, and find my crops so much in
excess of those cultivated without
the use of the roller, that l regard
the roller an indispensable nipple
ment on any farm, and when it pays
best is in rolling after planting. II
prevents winter-killing by causing
the wheat roots to grow down in
stead of on the surface. 1t caused
retention Of the moisture that is il
the land, and prevents the absorp
ton of an excess from frequent rains
1t causes the grain to sprout anC
grow off promptly even in a drouth
1t fines and firms the soil, but doe
not bake it or cause a crust to form
unless heavy beating rain falls be
fore the spire reaches the surface, anC
then to no greater extent than woulC
occur if the soil were made equal,
as fine by any other process. Their
was not a farmer in this country VIII
rolled after seeding, previous to m,
locating here l know of but three il
my neighbOrhood who failed to rOl
last fall. Their wheat was badl,
winter-killed; they made about te
bushels per acre, while one of thei
nearest neighbors upon the mea
kind of land, but who rolled afte
seeding, made IS II bushels pc
acre. They all tried to prepare the
land equally as well. The roller
the only implement l have ever see
that will enable the farmer to max
a perfect seed-bed. The vertici
tooth-harrow will allow the sma
clods to pass between its teeth an il
defnate number of times, and if ii
land is hard, the Acme harrow
have two of them) passes over then
and every other harrow know o
The harrow to draw the clOds to II
surface, and the roller to crush thel
will accomplish perfect seed be-
if repeated a sufficient number
times, and 1 know Of no other impl
ments that will.
roll after planting every ere
(unless rain falls to prevent it), as
IS all important to have the fine SO