The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-07-24
PRIZE ESSAY.
Wheat From Start to Finish.
By G. G. WILLIAMS.

"haI Is lneTe tnat mas more ready sale
at fairly good prices, taking into con-
sideratioD the labor involved, than
wheat? The seeding time comes at a
season Of the year when the rush OF
spring planting and harvest is over and
the farmer has time to attend to it. OF
course if his rotation be clover, potatoes
and wheat, "a most admirable one),
potato digging will make lively times
for him. But the much less work
needed to prepare the seed bed for
wheat, US ng disc harrow instead of
pillow, will make it an advantage after
all, and will give larger yield than
can be secured in any other way. The
old method Of summer following, while
producing good yield of wheat, is not
as profitable. Better grow crop of
potatoes or sweet corn than have the
land idle the best part of the growing
season. In thin soils this may not be
possible; circumstances will have to
govern on the start. However, after a
few years of clover growing, one ought
to be able to ntrol-circumstance IF
wheat follows oats or clover, let the
ground be plowed as early as possible.
frequently start the pillow in be-
tween the oat bundles, certainly want
to as soon as the oats are removed.
Then use harrow and roller alter ;
nately until the surface is made
very fine. The rolling will give firm
seed bed, and this, with fine surface
seems to be the best possible prepare
ton for wheat. In no case should the
drill be started when the team will push
three or four inches into the soil; more
rolling is necessary. Starting the pillow
early in August or the last of July,
will give the land abundant time to
settle and prevent this. Narrowing
once week will help the process and
prevent growth Of weeds. This can be
done with ten or twelve foot smooth
ing harrow at slight expense. A team
will get over good many acres in a
day. In this latitude, (about 4l3o),
get the best results one year with
another, from drilling my wheat about
tho first Of September. The fifteenth
will do, and frequently later seeding is
successful, but I prefer August 25th to
September 18th, unless / am seeding
after potatoes or corn. I always en-.
deavor to let the roller precede the drill,
as one can see what he is doing better
after the roller than the harrow. Il
looks very unworkmanlike to see bare
strips between the drill marks, and is a
source Of serious loss as we'll. I drill
the seed about three inches deep. AS
to quantity, use from bushel and a
peck to bushsl and half of carefully
cleaned seed no chess or rye needed.
In some soils perhaps little less will
do. AS to fertilizers, / find that the
best ammoniated super.phosphates are
indispensable on my shale clay soil.
use about 300 pounds per acre, always
with profit. 1t frequently. in bad sea-
sons, makes the difference between a
total failure and paying crop. On
sandy soils ! judge that results are not
nearly SO satisfactory. One will have
to experiment for himself, remembering
that cold, clay soil is moro likely to
be benefited than light, sandy one.
Alter the seed is in the ground, unless
the field is tile. drained, see that the
water can run off all low places-an
occasional shallow ditch will save one
few bushels of wheat. About the first
of March / would sow six quarts Of
clover seed per acre. If sown by hand,
perhaps eight. / used to drill four to
SIX quarts of timothy with the wheat,
but in favorable falls this would get
such start as to crowd out the clover
and spoil my rotation, so l dropped the
timothy. think we are ready for the
binder now. Thanks to our inventors
for giving US iron arms to hug the
wheat bundles ! Great care needs to be
taken lest the wheat be hauled in too
soon. Better let it cure in the shock
than mould in the NOW or stack. /
wish | did not have to say stack, for l
have seen too much wheat spoiled in
the stack. prefer to stack some hay
and move it into the barn after thresh-
ing rather than stack any wheat out. /
succeeded last year in growing and
marketing my wheat at cost Of sixty
cents per bushel. Average yield being
twenty.nine bushels per acre.
Trumbull Co., o.
s. RROWNS IR1N RJT1-Enc