The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-29
wheat Culture in Middle GEORGIA

1t has been very clearly and practically
demonstrated that while it is not generally
a profitable or safe operation to sow large
ly of wheat on our ordinary soils, never
theless when grown on the intensive plan,
and in a small way, it is a crop that can
be grown with very satisfactory results
by almost any farmer that is willing to
give up a small portion of his best land to
its culture and will bestow upon it the
care it demands, and what may be deemed
what it deserves. 1t is a crop that is sub
iect to a number of casualties-more so
than other grains-and when a large area
is grown the precautions that it is neces-
sary to observe to prevent these casual
ties are not apt to be as faithfully taken
as where a small area is sown. Allowing
that the best land is given to wheat, at is
very important, as the next step to secure
good seed.
Now a farmer might be able and willing
to provide for a small area the best seed,
even if it cost So per bushel while
he would not or could not invest in seed
of such quality and such price, if the area
to be sown was large AS a rule, in such
case, he would be apt to put up with seed
of much lower price and consequently of
much inferior quality.
The greatest obstacle to successful wheat
know, but what ought to say that the
common practice of sowing it in too poor
land is the greatest obstacle on the whole,
but granting THAT it is sown on soils that
will grow it, If no casualty occurs, the
greatest obstacle then 1 repeat, is rust.
Other casualties that wheat is subject 20
are smut, the Hessian fly and the autumn
army worm. These are easily guarded
against. Not sowing the grain until after
heavy frost occurs, ordinarily proves a
successful precaution against the fly and
the army worm and every farmer knows
that washing the seeds wheat thoroughly
in blueStone water is an effectual proven
titiVe of smut. Rust remains as the one
serious obstacle to be overcome. Wheat on
rich or poor land is alike, subject to this
disease-a disease for which science has
not been able to find a remedy, though it
has been known that seed wheat washed
in a strong brine and then coated with
common lime (rolled in 1t just before SOW
ing is not near so liable to rust, and it
has been claimed by some that it is a per-
feet remedy, but whether this be so or not
it is conceded by all experienced wheat
culturists that it is a great aid in the pre-
Vention of rust
1t is well known that there are varieties
of wheat much less subject to rust than
others, and it is the fond hope of many
that at no distant day we will have a thor
oughly acclimated rust proof variety of
Whether this hope be fully realized or not
we have at this time varieties that are
not disposed to rust unless it happens that
the weather proves extremely favorable to
it. These wheats, if washed in brine, and
rolled in lime, and sown on good
land, the surface of which
has been well pulverized, though the
blowing need not be deep, using from fifty
to seVenty-five bushels of cotton seed as
manure whenever necessary, and general
ly manuring is necessary if large yield
IS aimed at, and by large yield is meant
thirty to forty bushels or more
To secure such crop ON few acres a
farmer can afford to provide good seed,
proper preparation for sowing good pull
verization of the soil, and IS to $40 worth
of manure, and by observing such a plan
secure as much profit from two acres as
he would from ten poorly prepared, poor
ly manfred and sown to poor wheat
Small farmers should adopt the plan of
sowing wheat in eighteen to twenty four
inch drills and cultivating it several times
IN the spring, and thirty to fifty bushels
of wheat per acre can be secured when
eight to twenty only could be obtained
by broadcast sowing. 1t is by far the best
mode for the small farmer where the
wheat is sown in tWo-foot drills from
twenty to fifty pounds of seed should be
used per acre, if the land is rich or the
wheat well MANFRED in the drill After
GIVING the idHu SlOuIu ne brought TO
perfect level by brushing or narrowing.
The middles should be thoroughly broken
carly in February and after that at inter-
walls, two or three good sweepings Zone
furrow to the row, with a twenty-inch
sweep is sufficient. On fair land 1t will
not be difficult matter to produce al any
rate twenty to twenty-five bushels of
wheat on an acre or two with such a pro-
duct as this even, will be a very great help
next summer to most of our farmers
-S-e-e-
Mule with Swollen Leg.