The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-11-03
WHEAT CULTURE.
BY Capt. T. r. Pe~k, Commissions
Of Agriculture.

OF Agriculture.
One of tho most esseetial require
ments in successful wheat growing is
the early and thorough PREPARATION of
the land. The loeal selection for
wheat land is good clover sou, one
from which crop OF hay has
been harvested early enough 20 pro-
duce good second growth OF cover
Get this growth as heavy as possible
and turn under deeply In August or
September.
Keep tie disc or spring tooth har-
row running over the surface often
enough to keep down any late IaA
growth Oh grass or weedS DO TINS
very carefully, so there will be no
necessity for returning the ianu. The
growing wheat pants need all the
humus or sponge-hKe property that
can be put into the undersoll TO hold
the moisture.
1t is serious mistake to neglect
the, surface cultivation and necessl-
tate turning the land again before
seeding, because of the lace growth
OF grass and weeds covering the
plowed ground.
If clover sod cannot be had-and
this has Of late years been a serious
problem with us+the next best prep
aratlon is to SOW peas IN May, cut
crop of hay early IN August, alloW
a second growth from the peavlne
roots and turn under deeply about the
first OF September. Keep the land
well surface-cultlvated until about tne
middle Of October, keep all the mos
ture-retalning elements buried, yet
have a fine, shallow, we'll cultivated
seed bed.
The wheat plants need a firm sub
soil, but one retentiye of moisture,
and a loose, clean, shallow seed-bed.
Sow with the drill set to three or four
inches deep, and leave the drill fur
rows well open.
| prefer disc drill because of the
condition in which it leaves the fur
row where the seed is paced. Be
sure the soil is in good working con-
dition-better too dry than too wet.
When the winter freezes come, the
loose soil from the sides of the drill
furrow will tumble in to protect the
roots of the young plant, and it will
not raise up nor freeze out near so
badly as when narrowed in on a level
surface
Another essential is good seed. 1t
pays we'll to fan and screen very
carefully to get out all the small,
weak and faulty grains, as well as
the cookie, rye and chess, and SOW
only plump, heavy, healthy grains of
clean wheat. If sown the last half
Of October, in this section, one bush
el per acre of good, clean wheat is
better than heavier seeding. Later
than this requires more seed per
acre, as it does not have the time to
tiller out.
To prevent smut it is safe plan to
treat the seed wheat with strong
solution Of bluestone or Tornado
hyde, either of which kills the spores
of smut on the wheat, and is a sure
preventive and if sprinkled on the
grain so as to thoroughly wet it one
day ahead of the drill, it will not him
der the sowing.
When there is a constant freezing
and thawing in February and March,
lifting the wheat roots out of the
ground, the stand can be saved by the
use of the roller as soon as the |
ground is drying out.
In harvesting it is best to begin !
while the grain is little green in
places, rather than wait until it is
fully ripe. The grain will not shatter
so badly, yet it will fully mature from |
the sap in the rather green stalk.
My experience with commercial fer |
tifizer has been limited, and not sat |
isfactory. Tho nitrogen and humus
from the decaying clover or pea sod
together with the natural phosphate
in our Middle Tennessee soil, with |
a supply Of potash stored in our
red clay subsoil, and made available |
by the deep-rooted clover and pea
plants and the deep breaking of our
land, makes it unnecessary for us to |
use comemrcial fertilizers on our
wheat crops. BY careful preparation |
of the soil and selection of seed our
farmers can very materially increase
nay them better than to bring this
into their regular rotation.