Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-03-12
FARM, FIELD, GARDEN.
TOPICS or INTEREST 10 COUNTRY
AND SUBURBAN READERS.

Reasons Given by American CuItivator
for the Continued Popularity Of wheat
as a Farm Crop-Wheat Growing as a
Part Of Successful Rotation.
Wherever wheat can be successfully
grown it is certain to be an important
farm crop. The past year the average
both for spring and winter wheat re-
manned about the same, but bad seasons
diminished the crop. There is no sign
anywhere Of the abandonment of wheat
growing in any locality where it has
heretofore been successful, but rather Of
more general attention to this crop. The
reason for this continued popularity Of
wheat is that its cultivation admirably
supplements other crops in the relations
usually adopted. No other grain gives
as good o seeding as winter wheat, and
I withit can be sOwn not only the clovers
which sGeceel only in spring, but also
timothy and ether grasses which do best
when sown in the fall. AS a seeding
lasts two, three or four years, the i'm
portance Of having a good stand from
the first can hardly be overestimated
Where the clover or grass seeding is
good weeds have no chance to grow.
This often makes great difference in
cultivation Of hoed crops when the field
thus well seeded comes to be plowed
again. The better the sod the more fer
tility has accumulated, and the fewer
weeds there will be to fight.
Growing winter wheat has further
advantage for large farmers in the fact
that it enables them to get portion Of
their acreage out of the way the previous
season 50 that nothing need be done to
it except to harvest the crop. BY de-
voting the bulk Of nanures to the spring
hoed crops, corn and potatoes, the farmer
can set off each year one-tifth or one
sixth Of his land to wheat, doing the
work when he and his teams would
otherwise be idle He can thus grow as
large spring crops as if he had devoted
the whole Of his farm to them. Wheat
can be as well fertilized with CONNER
cial and mineral nanures as with those
from the stable III, whenever wheat is
sown, the land is seeded with clover
the soil will continue to improve while
the stable manure is applied to crops
that pay better while they are less favor
able for maintaining soil fertility.
So far as possible wheat farmers should
sell only the -four Of the wheat thew
grow. AS rule they generally sell
wheat as grain, but they can easily
buy again as much wheat bran and fine
middhngs as the grain would make and
feed it out to their stock. Doing thus
wheat will not be found exhaustive to
the soil, and when clover is always sown
with it the two combined may be fairly
considered beneficial to soil fertility.
Horses That Never Ought to BE Clipped.
There is a class Of horses that never
ought to be clipped, excepting when
some skin disease or other disordered
condition demands it. This applies to
hack and cab horses that daily stand idle
in exposed streets awaiting orders, often
for an hour or two at time. 1t applies
also to animals that stand idle a great
deal in cold stables, heavy and slow
working horses, brood mares, especially
if well advanced, and those that perspire
easily, not from the superabundant coat,
but from some obscure disease, some de-
bilitated or perhaps hidebound condi-
ton, where the surroundings, age and
value of the animal would make it mad
visable.
The same class Of reasons apply to the
clipping Of the legs. Judgment must
be used in this also. When the climate
is wet and the roads muddy it is certain
ly an advantage to keep the hair from
the ankles down short, as it dries more
readily. and the mud and dirt are more
easily removed. lessening materially the
liability to irritation Of the skin at the
extremities. Horse Breeder.