The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1908-08-07
WHEAT.
Its Value as a Crop and the I'm.
pOrlance of Good Seed,

News has been the friend of the farm
er 1t recognizes and appreciates The
fact that the farmers of the land are
its bone and sinew, 1t fully compre-
bends their usefulness and their i'm
Eortance in the great economy ollie
and labor. The News has endeAvored
to present to its farmer readers, in ev-
cry issue, the newest and best thought
Of the men who give to the world,
through the medium of their writings,
the result of their labors in pracu-
cal agriculture, ....
Continuing along this line the
News wishes at this seasonable time
to present TO the farmers who read
this paper some suggestions regarding
the raising of wheat. And before go
ing further let us say that we believe
/ 1t should be the aim of every farmer
to raise as much as possible of every
thing that goes upon his table. We
believe that every farmer will agree
with this proposition. In fact, he
shows by his actions year after year
that, as far as he believes 1t possible,
he should support himself and fami-
~ by the products of his land, In
other words, he should raise what
lie eats" ..........
His truck patch supplies his vcge
tables, his poultry yard and pen his
chickens and hogs, his cornfield a
part of his bread So far so good but
unfortunately, too many farmers stop
right here. Many, very many, buy
every pound of flour they use, de-
pending, too, upon the action of wheat
gamblers in Chicago to say whether
they shall pay reasonable or an
unreasonable price for their flour.
They do this year after year, when
by little intelligent effort, they can
raise as good wheat as anybody, and
iii quantities amply sufficient for thei
breadstuff, and often some to spare.
Many years ago, long before the
day of fine agricultural machinery;
before the day of intelligent research
and fine result along the line of prop
er fertilization and before tine day
of patent process milling,the best farm
ers of this section would feel asham-
ed to eat biscuit that did not have
its origin on their own land.
The Garreds, the Burgesses, the
McClures, the Vinsons-all those old
worthless and scores of others raised
their wheat, Graded It, threshed
it out by hand, boated or hauled 1t
to mill,-often only a water-mill-,
and exchanged it for flour by no
means 50 good as that prOcurable TO-
Gay at far less trouble and expense
But they tell us it doesn't pay
row to raise wheat, Is that so? Why
It doesn't pay TO raise anythingun-
less you raise it right. There's a
light and there's a wrong way TO do
almost anything, and We are quite
sure that if our farmers, some Of them
we're dissatisfied with their efforts
to grow wheat they have been pro-
ceeding along improper lines, They
have not prepared their ground prop
erly, they have not seeded at the
proper time, they have used the wrong
fertilizer, or they have used just any
Old sort of seed wheat-little Bhriv-
eied, rusty grains, not adapted to this
latitude or this soil One or posi-
| bly, all of these conditions have
obtained, and what is inevitably the
result? Failure.
The News lays down this propo-
sitiOn to the farmers Of the Big San
( dy Valley: Select the best piece of
land on your farm; prepare it properly
get good seed; SOW at a good sea
son" and then if the weather man is
kind, good old Mother Nature will
do the rest and you will have no Oc-
casion or cause to swap other products
for somebody's breadstuff
The News does not say that the
Sandy Valley is the finest wheat grow
ing spot in the world or even ip Ken
lucky, but 1t does say that under prop
er circumstances and by proper eeffort
the product of wheat in this section
can be more than doubled The wri-
ter had a conversation a day or two
ago with the best practical farmer
in Lawrence county, man who has in
telligently applied himself TO practi-
cal agriculture and with results entire
ly satisfactory. In the course Of this
conversation the farmer was led TO
speak of preparing ground for wheat
He had made study of our soil and
its fitness for various products, and
he said that as result Of study and
experience he thought that disking
our land was much better than plow-
ing 1t, If wheat was to be the crop.
II made a better foundation, and the
damage from freezing was greatly
lcssened. First, the disk,-were
guessing at the spelling of this word