The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-09-01

varieties, and succeed we'll in our sec
ton.
Wheat, like all other crops, requires
good soil. Thelve or fifteen bushels
of wheat per acre may be grown on
thin soil under favorable conditions,
but this at present prices will not pay.
But by an Intelligent system of rota
tion with peas or clover, and liberal
application of commercial fertilizer,
carrying from q to 81 per cent. of pot,
ash, and from 10 to ID per cent. Of
phOsphOric acid, with thorough tillage
may be doubled. l would not advise
the application OF fertilizer contain
ing nitrogen after a crop ot either peas
or clover, as either will furnish all the
nitrogen needed for the wheat crop,
even after the removal of the clover
and peas in the way of hay. By grow
ing either of thes9 crops we are enabled
to reduce the cost of our fertilizer from
$8 to so per ton, and have just as good
results as when we pay IS to % cents
per pound for nitrogen.
While it is not very difficult to get
farmers to realize the Importance of
having seed and good soil, yet it is next
to impossible to get them to realize the
Importance of fning the soil. Nature
has made this provision in virgin soils,
by filling them with roots of plants.
Put tho ForDoo~ hoe bu on IN ;,11ioioI1C
system of farming exhausted this vege
table matter, end as a result fnds his
land hard and cloddy. Yet with this
object lesson spread before him he fails
to realize the Importance OF a mellow
seed bed, and scatters his seed on a
pile of Clods, seeming to think he has
done his whole duty; and if at harvest
he fails, and fail he will, to reap a rich
harvest, he is loud in his denunciation
of the fertilizer agent, the season, the
moon, bad luck or something else,
when in reality he alone is to blame
A clod yields no nourishment to plants
till pulveriz d. The sun, air and rain
all help the mellow soil, and 80 by pull
verizjng we set forces at work which
are lost on compact or cloddy soils. 1t
is therefore of the utmost Importance
to have the soil thoroughly pulveriz ID
This preparation should begin now. To
reach the best results the blowing
should all be done this month and the
soil thoroughly narrowed every week
or to, 5ouo NTH oyoOoFbi,,cr borrou1 Ov,
clod crusher until October 1O5h, at
which time ! like to commence. Never
before this, as earlier seeding is apt to
be injured by the fly. l am not an ad
vocate of deep blowing or thick seed
ing. From four to five inches is as
deep as l like to plow for wheat, and
about one bushel per acre is as much
as like to SOW on well prepared soil
of sound, clean wheat.
To summarize, 1 SOW only the best
seed on rich soil, if it is not rich make
it so, for nothing will thrive on poor
soil. | have been using for a number
of years as fertilizer brand known
as FIrman's Formula, made in Atlanta
by Adair & Mccarthy Bros. I use
from 200 to 800 pounds of this per acre
drilled in with wheat on thoroughly
pulverizod bed. While I thi. k the
capabilities of our section of country
as wheat producing section have not
as yet been dreamed Of, yet would
not advise an indiscriminate seeding
on any and all kinds of soil to the ex
clusion of any crop that may be needed
on the farm that can be successfully
grown. think only maximum crops
should be aimed at by the farmer.
These can be made to pay while the
average crop will not The best meth
DDS should be adopted by which the
raised per acre at the least expense.
Wheat will remain at relatively low
prices in the future except when there
are failures of the crop in large wheat
growing sections. The great competi-
tors of the United States in the produc-
ton and ale of wheat are the Argen-
tine Republic, Aus .ralia, and Russia.
The Argentine Republic with popula-
ton of about five million is able already
to put on the European markets thirty
five million bushels of wheat year,
and besides this, these wheat fields
average less than one hundred miles
from deep water harbors. So you see
Argentine wheat pays very little inland
freight. Russia likewise has a short
haul while the United States average
heavy transportation charges in reach
iDo tho ooohOorS a. vor1 soo that