Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-10-22

but makes that system of farming
imperative. A full appreciation of
our magnificent resources, and a de-
termination to take advantage of
them, will within few years make
every such farmer independent and
secure for him a business which is
not only pleasant, but highly lucra-
tive.
The character of the soils best
suited for the growth and develop
ment of wheat is good clay loan,
furnished with goodly supply of
humus and nitrogenous matter,
phosphoric acid and potash. The
The elements of phosphoric acid
and potash should predominant,
particularly the former. Light
sandy soils will not yield satisfactory
results, and such lands would pay
better planted in something else.
! There are but few sections of farm
ing lands in the south, however,
which with proper tillage and fer
tility will not yield fairly good
crop of wheat. Whenever a strong,
vigorous stalk is secured with but
little or no development of grains,
the trouble is not so much with the
land as it is with the absence of
proper fertilizing ingredients. Such
a condition of affairs under other.
wise favorable climatic conditions in
dicates deficiency of both elements
of phosphoric acid and potash in
sufficient quantities to develop the
food constituents of the grain. 1t
would then be incumbent upon the
grower to provide these absent con-
stituents either by heavy applica-
tons of barnyard manure, ashes
and lime, or by the purchase and
use of such commercial fertilizers as
will furnish the required needs of
the soils in proper proportions.
There is no one thing more essential
in preparing for wheat crop than
the thorough preparation of the
land by deep plowing and narrowing
down to fine tilth.
The more fully the land is pulver-
lied the better will be the yield, no
matter how fertile the soil or how
heavy the application of fertilizers
may be. This is a matter which
should be borne in mind, because it
is highly important. Experiments
have proven conclusively that land
prepared like an ashbank furnished
heavies yields of wheat than similar
plats of ground adjoining gave with
out such preparation, though much
higher percentage of fertilizers were
applied to the latter. A corn and
pea field, with the stubble whipped
under with good turner or disc,
and then narrowed over two or three
times presents an ideal field for SOW
ing down in wheat. Barnyard
manure or cotton seed can then be
broadcasted and a disc harrow run
over the field, or if the seed is put in
with drilling machine and COM
mercial fertilizers used the whole
can be done at one time. Wheat
ordinarily should be covered to a
depth of three inch es, not deeper on
heavy clay soils. With good, clean
seed wheat, SOW from one bushel to
one and one-fourth bushels per acre.
If sown by hand, endeavor to 80
scatter the grains that by spreading
the full width of one hand on the
ground five grains will be covered.
| If with a drill the machine can be
regulated to do the work automati-
cally. After the field is sown, by
whatever method employed, it is
best to run heavy roller over the
ground to smooth down all clods and
other distractions which will inter
fero with proper harvesting. All
small seed germinate better and
grow off more vigorously when the
soil under which they are planted is
rolled to a firm and compact textu o.
Probably the best general fertilizer
which can be secured for a crop Of
wheat to meet all requirements,
especially when the land to he sown
has grown a crop of pea vines this
year, is as follows: Nitrogen, 2 per
cent; available phosphoric acid, 8
lper cent; actual potash, 9 per cent.