The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-24

including December. We have grown
fine crops of winted wheat from sowings
made in the last week of December. In
some sections 1t is best to sow as late as
possible to escape the ravages OF the
Hessian fly. The matter of time in each
section must be determined by the farm
ers themselves. The seeding should. how
ever. be done when the soil is dry We
neglected in our chapter on soil prepara-
ton to state that experiments in summer
blowing for wheat show that soils plowed
in July give best results
When seed beds have been prepared ac-
cording to the directions outlined it will
be best to use an up-to-date press drill
for sowing the seed. Where the land
is very rough or stony some other style
of drill may answer or ii might be best
to SOW by hand. though there is great
saving of seed by using a press drill. for
by its use three pecks of seed will be a
sufficient amount per acre; whereas IL
sown broadcast by hand from one to one
and a half bushels would be needed per
acre.
How to Sow.
There are other advantages in using
the press drill, The wheels of the drill
pack the soil on the seed. the soil re-
tains the moisture, causing nearly every
seed to germinate and grow they all
come at once and all start growth to-
gether The plants are stronger right
from the start than are plants from the
broadcast sowing. 1t pays the farmer
to take more time and so prepare his
seed beds that he may use the press drill
to put in his wheat The same is true of
all other small grains. such as oats, rye
barley and even alfalfa.
Tares.
The question may arise in the mind of
the reader, What are tares?. We would
define the word tares In a general way
by saying that they mean any plant that
may be allowed to grow among the wheat
which would ripen it's seed az the same
time as the wheat, which the farmer
would be compelled to thresh with his
wheat and which would injure both the
quality and the sale of the wheat or other
grain as well. There are a great many
such plants but the most common and
most injurious of these, as well as the
hardest to get rid of is the chess, COM
monty called cheat, and cookie. Where
these once get a footing on farm they
are almost sure to remain A few seed
will get scattered around and If left to
mature will soon get scattered over the
farm where they will remain until such
time as the land is sown to wheat. Then
they spring up. To my knowledge cookie
seed will lie dormant in the soil for years
where crops of cotton, corn, ETC., are
grown, but as soon as wheat Is planted on
the same soil, they spring up at once
with the wheat.
Eternal vigilance is the price Of liberty
and the only way to clear the wheat
of tares is to go over the field several
times before harvest, pull out the tares,
carry them out and burn them. Do not
let them deceive you. making you think
that when you pull them out the seed Is
not well enough matured to grow, for
often even when the flower has just
dropped if they are pulled up and left on
the ground they will mature their seed.
They are treacherous. The coclxel can
more easily be found than can the chess,
for it makes a beautiful flower and there
by exposes itself to the farm IL the
fields are gone over at blooming time 1t
can all be pulled out, but be careful not
to root up the wheat with the tares. A
good plan to prevent doing this Is to use
a sharp knife on the main stem just I'M
der the ground. Wild onions In some Sec
tions are also bad tares for wheat. These
are very difficult to get rid Of. Perhaps
the best way to clear the land of these
will be to SOW some crop that Will
smother them out rot out the seed.
such crops as red clover, COW peas and
alfalfa. Keep the soil densely covered
for several years with suchScrops as these
anu IL VIII pe iheiy " cieai 'he e"iS9
Cultivation of Wheat.
The question is often asked: Would 1t
pay to cultivate wheat? The answer IL
yes, largely so. Where the seed bed for
wheat has been prepared as outlined In
this bulletin and the seed sown with
press drill. in early spring. following the
seeding of fall wheat It would be very
beneficial to cultivate the wheat with a
good steel vibrating harrow or use one
of the best up-to-date weeders, following
this at once with roller.
There is one condition in soils Of some