The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-19
Wheat.

nearly at hand, ana the HoiN 9A F-
 ing the soil for this crop should be push ed as fast as our weather conditions VIII permit.
 There is now quite an interest among farmers, especially ip the nortaern part of the state. in wheat growing. Wheat growing can be made profitable in many sections of the state. especially if the soil is prepared ahead as 1t should be. Then, again. if wheat growing is to prove a success, it should be grown on larger scale; that Is, 1t should be more exten- sively grown so as to attract the atten- ton of buyers and to induce mills to be builded in our towns where the wheat may be ground in such quantities that some good man in each neighborhooo could afford to purchase improved im- plements such as binders and thrasners' for hanGnng and caring for the crop cheaply It will hardly pay to grow few small scattered crops of wheat, as this would afford no indueement Tor any one to stock up with machinery sultaple for handling the crop. In this age ol progressive farming, all work on the laiIn should be done as far as possible wlth improved machinery, and in order 10 use this machinery to good advantage the soil must be fully prepared by having all stumns and stones removed rom the 6el6s and the surface of the lands made as smooth as possible. Then, too' ail brush and briers should be cleaneu ou' and tha soil made free of these pe.ois a. tenntine 10 SOW wheat. It would be poor job of harvesting wnere the ,isa Wnsa' was all mixed up with brush and orlers'
 Will Wheat Growing Payf
 This Ia A question which we often heal sarnars dIseussing Wheat groWlns' like growing other crops, some euies if pays we'll again it hardly pays 1.s penses of planting and harvestlns' s' aa' like all other crops. wheat VIII pay l- cordance with the care ana .aor seed if only half way planted ana poo, sse1 .a- used at that, a poor crop will De the re sult The farmers of the west man t monev growing wheat, and they make IL pav by simply preparing the soii ioi 'n s crop and by sowing the rlghe finu =, grain and sowing 1t at the rlgnt .iine p sli, als fin a proper manner. Then II they Aaii as tbev sometimes do. they do not ger discouraged and quit but try the haroei the next season to induce paylns Clop
 Farmers will never succeed In making it pay if they drop the crop anu cliaueo every time failure and misfortune conles along. This year our crops or coin .s. eie cotton are almost comple'e laai ail .,se ot,,sr the eff scts of the drouth. Only ehe oelie. dav I saw an account of farm or crop of sixty acres of corn that only yieiueu fifty bushels of corn. and saw one iii,i, s who had thirty acres of cotton Who saio that he would not yet get over three 70 bales from the thirty acres. NOW, is IL rood farming for these farmers 70 say corn or cotton will not pay ana snai, s,. nlan+ no more of either7 There would ha inst as good reason in this as there IS in dronpine the wheat crop because or single or eveh often failures Wl'n the wheat crop in this and many other sec tions of the south, and when our narsn- m CTS learn how to prepare the soli TOT wheat and learn how to select Varletles | suitable for their lands, such a thing as l a failure with a wheat crop will not oc- cur any oftener than with other standard | crops. ,..
 If the farmers of the west can make money by growing wheat at forty cents
 per bushel, 1t does seem that when our | farmers in the south can get slA.y ,o
 seventy cents per bushel that they snoulu | make some money in growing wheat Al any rate. we can and should grow enough | to meet our home demands. We ire ouently hear the objection raised agalnst
 growing wheat, that 1t Is hard to get II l thrashcd or ground Now, if there was 1 good crops of wheat grown each year those would soon attract the attention of
 thrashers and millers, and soon there
 would be no cause for complaint on these lines. But, where only few acres are l crown in a neighborhood, there Is no ln- ducement for any one to invest In ma chinery for handling these small Isolated | crops. Increase the acreage grow more | and better wheat and there will be some
 one to buy machinery for handling IL. Soil for Wheat.
 The wheat plant thrives best in new
 rich soil or soils made rich by the grow
 ing on them of such plants as clovers
 meas and beans Then the soil must have | good drainage, for wheat will not grow l on wet sour, water-soaked soil where | if is possible the crop should be sown on
 clover land The fields of clover should be plowed deep, turning the clover under, following the breaking of the land with a good narrowing, making the soil level | and fine Most any of our lands that Will | produce corn or cotton, will, with the | right preparation, make crop or wheat. l But the main thing Is to get the soil well l enriched and deep seed bed prepared hefore seeding. The red clay lands of the northern part of the state are better l adapted for wheat growing than are the | lower lands in the southern part of the state. Even much of the rough hill lands may be made to produce fine crops of wheat
 Fertilizers.
 Where 1t Is necessary to use fertilizers,
 
 | if the wheat crop Is to follow on land where clover or peas have been grown | very little else in way of manure Will be needed. It will depend largely on the soil | as to what IS best for manure, some soils | need more than would be needed Tor | others. On our heavy clay soils, l would | recommend the use of from twenty-five to | thirty bushels of pure rock lime per acre. | Where there is a very heavy crop of peas, | the vines should be cut for hay, when the I lime may be sown broadcast over the field and turned under with the pea vine ;, stubble It would hardly be advisable to plow under heavy crop of the pea vines.
 as they would cause the land to remain
 too open for the wheat plants to root
 well. Wheat, like many other plants,
 needs nitrogen, phosphoric acid and
 potash. Nitrogen to make the necessary
 growth of leaf and stalk. pnospnoric acid to produce the grain, ana potash to strengthen the stalk. Now, when pea or clover stubble is turned under and wheat sown, this will usually furnish all the ni- trogen needed for the crop. Potash Is very abundant in nature, and most soils may have a sufficient supply of potash for producing a fine crop of wheat. So, that where the soil has an ample supply l of nitrogen and potash, it would be only a waste of money in buying a complete | fertilizer, and so 1t is more than likely that what is mostly needed especially in
 our clay soils is phosphoric acid. This
 by washing the face of her companioIs
 may be supplied by the use or application
 of bone meal. But, in case 1t is necessary | to use land which has not had or does