Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-10-28
PLANNING SMALL GRAIN.

The season for planting wheat barley
and rye is now upon US and IL behooves
every man who advocates the policy OF
living at home on the farm, 10 be active
IN getting his lands ready for seeding
down IN small grain. Between the middle
OF October and the last week In Novem-
Der should cover the period OF sowing
winter grain in Georgia and adjacent
states. with the exception OF oats. which
crop should be planted between the mid
die OF September and the first OF Novem-
Der II q good crop from fan seeding Is
desired.
unless the cat crop Is planted early,
and the plants given an opportunity 10
root out and secure q good hold in the
soil, a serious cold spell in January or
February s. most likely 10 prove either
fatal or damaging With oats II has been
clearly demonstrated by practical expert
rnent on an extensive scale in all parts OF
the south. that II the crop is drilled IN
stead OF being sOwn broadcast, there Is
little or No danger OF the roots OF the
plants being killed By the severest freezes
We have In February.
It makes no particular difference wheth-
CT the seed oats are distributed with a
regular grain drilling machine or whether
the burrows are laid on close together
and the seed put In with guano dis
trfbutor AS a matter OF economy and
desirabilIty the improved implement is
best, but IN the absence OF financial abil-
fty TO purchase drilling machine. some
EFFORT ought 20 be made 20 plant the crop
IN close shallow burrows Whenever any
improved system has been clearly demon
strated 70 our satisfactiOnas being better
than old ones the progressive men OF the
country should at once adopt IT,
Preparing Land For Wheat.
Land for wheat should be OF fair nat
uraI fertility. and then MANFRED accord
ing to the ability OF the planter. Wheat
requires. 70 make good growth and de-
velopment all the elements OF a complete
fertilizer, particularly that OF nitrogen.
IL Is q nitrogenOus feeder, and analysis
shows that a considerable quantity OF that
element must go into the grain 10 perfect
IT, The natural plant foods in any soil
cannot be rendered available 10 the de-
mands OF plant life. unless the soil has
been thoroughly broken up and pulver-
lied The nearer We put soil in the con-
difion OF an ash bank, the nearer we come
toward making that soil open up its stores
OF plant food. Hence II must be insisted
that the first requisite OF the successful
grain grower is 10 get his lands in as
near perfect filth as possible
Aside from rendering these natural plant
foods available BY thorough preparation OF
lands, il is a fact known 70 all farmers
that the young and tender roots Of small
grain win more successfully branch out
50 search for what il needs, than where
the soil Is full Of clods and hardness.
have shown IN a previous article that in
South Dakota where the finest crops OF
wheat in the union are annually raised,
the soil freezes TO a depth OF four feet in
winter, and while thawing out in the
spring during planting time and later, il
a becomes fully pulverized TO that depth.
What nature does for the northwest we
are forced 10 do. or should do as nearly
as possible with the plOw and harrow.
Break the land as deeply as possible and
then harrow until the soil is in proper
condition
Labor is becoming a serious problem on
many farms in the south. and whenever
e. is not possible 10 prepare as large an
area as desired. cut the acreage down
and do well. that which is done at all
Better results viii be obtained and a
bigger and more satisfactory profit on the
undertaking will be realized at harvest
time. Now this question OF preparing the
land. both for the field crop and patches
Is q most important one and should re-
ceive the attention IL merits. The average
yield Of wheat per acre In Georgia is en-
tfrely too low. compared with the POSSIBLE
flies OF the soil and what has been and
Is being produced here every year by men
who take deep interest in that crop. The
average should be easily raised from y TO
Is bushels per acre 10 . and 50 bushels
per acre
FertIIizing and Planting.
In all OF my experience In growing