The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-07-22
Agriculture.
SUCCESSFUL WHEAT CULTURE.
Tor. of The Progressive Farmer.

Of wheat are being received from most
of the Southern States. Our own
crop is little more than half what it
was last year, and indeed I have yet
to see what I consider really fine
crop.
The principal reason for this short
crop seems to have been the extreme
" cold weather last December which
killed back the young wheat and in
jured the stand greatly where it had
Just come up. The farmers were un-
usually late in planting last fall, the
weather was very dry and everything
seemed to conspire against them. We
made the mistake of sowing too late
ourselves, and this was largely the
cause of our short crop.
We should all learn lesson from
this experience and not put off plant
ing until so late. From the 18th of
October to the 18th of November is
the best time in middle and north
Georgia. In any locality it should be
planted early enough to get well root
ed before very cold weather. I would
not advise sowing here before the
middle of October, as there might be
some danger of its being injured by
the fly; but it is usually safe to SOW
after the first white frost. We should
have our land all broken before this
time, however, and worked down fine.
We are liable to have very dry wealth
er in October, and unless the land is
broken in September, it is often diff
cult to get it into condition in time
to plant.
A thorough preparation of the seed
bed is very necessary, and unless we
pIow early, we cannot properly fit the
land. In preparing our land we first
plow, then harrow and roll. Then ap-
ply our fertilizer, work it in with a
cutaway harrow, follow this with
smoothing harrow, and roll again. We
then let it stand about two weeks be-
fore sowing. We work the seed in
with a cutaway and then drag level.
If the seed is put in with drill, the
land should be worked over with cut
away, and dragged before running the
drill. The deeper the land is broken,
the more work will be necessary to
compact it afterwards. The seed bed
for wheat must be made firm and fine
before planting if you wish the best
results.
The kind of fertilizer to use on
wheat must depend largely on the
character of your land, together with
its present condition and former treat
ment. Our best results last year
when we made % bushels per acre,
we're obtained by the use of a fertil-
izer analyzing 10 per cent phosphoric
acid and per cent potash, which we
applied at the rate of 400 pounds per
acre. The land, however, was. strong
and had a heavy peavine stubble on
it at the time it was plowed for
wheat. which furnished the needed nj
tTogen.
In my experience, nothing is to be
gained by turning under the peavines.
Our best results have been obtained
by cutting the vines for hay and turn
ing under the stubble. Turning under
the vines makes the land too loose and
seems to furnish an excess of nitro
gen which makes the wheat more cas-
i.v affected by rust.
This year our best results have
come from the use of a complete fer
Ll.zer which analyzed about 3 per
cent ammonia, per cent phosphoric
acid. and 10 per cent potash. The am
uouia was in the shape of nitrate of
soda. and its effect was very marked,
Increasing the crop fully one-fourth.
The land on which this trial was
made was a stiff clay loan and fair
sample of the uplands of middle Geor-
g.a.
It showed that a complete fertili-
-ar containing the three principal ele-
Ients Of plant food-ammonia, phos-
Daoric acid and potash, is necessary
Tor best results on these lands. The
following formula is, judging from
our experience, about right: Ammo
ma 3 per cent, phosphoric acid 8 per
cent, and potash 6 per cent.
To make this fertilizer, take 1000
pounds acid phosphate, 760 pounds