The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-12-03
WHEAT IN THE COTTON BELT.
BY Clyde Z. Leighty, Agronomist in
Bureau of Plant Industry.

advantageous in many sections.
Whether wheat should be grown at
this time may depend on other fac
tors than the suitability of the soil
or climate for growing wheat. In
some places suitable machinery is not
at hand for properly sowing, har-
vesting and thrashing this crop. If
oats or barley are grown at present,
the machinery used for these crops
can be readily used for wheat; but
if no such cereals are grown, the
necessary machinery will have to be
provided for properly handling the
crop. The disposition of the grain
after it is produced must also have
consideration. Wheat may be used
for feed, but corn or barley is likely
to be better suited for this purpose,
except perhaps for chickens. The
chief use of wheat is for bread, and
unless it can be ground into -four in
a mill near at hand or can be ship
ped to a market, some other crop
should be grown. An isolated wheat
grower, unless he produces a carload
OR more, will find it difficult or un-
profitable to ship the grain produced.
A few persons in each community,
however, may profitably grow wheat
with the object of supplying seed to
their neighbors, should the general
sowing of wheat the following year
appear probable.
Wheat is a good crop for winter
pasture, but is probably not so good
for this purpose as rye, except per-
haps on the heavier clay soils. Rye
is much better on the sandy soils.
Wheat can be pastured more closely
without apparent injury than can
oats or barley. If wheat is to be cut
for grain, however, it should not be
pastured late in the spring or when
the land is muddy. AS grain crop,
wheat is generally superior to rye IN
the value of the crop produced, ex-
cept on lighter soils. AS hay crop,
wheat is inferior to oats.
According to data obtained by the
United States department of agricul-
ture for 1909 the average cost per
acre of producing wheat in the cot
ton belt is S1.13 less than the cost
for corn, but S1.09 more than the
cost for oats. The excess of value of
the grain produced over the cost Of
producing the crop is greatest for
corn and least for wheat when these
three crops are compared. An en-
hanced price of wheat, however, will
result in greater returns from the
crop. More attention to wheat pro-
duction on the part of farmers in
general may also result in making
the wheat crop as valuable in certain
sections of the South as in any part
of the country.
Soils Adapted to Wheat.
Much of the well-drained loan,
silt-loam, clay loan, and some of the
clay soils can doubtless be used
proftably for wheat growing. San
dy soils and heavy, poorly drained
clay soils are not so suitable. The
coastal plains of the Gulf and of the
Atlantic are not likely to return
profitable wheat crops, and in at least
all of the peninsular portion of Flori-
da wheat growing should not be at
tempted. The Piedmont Plateau,
however, contains much good wheat
land.
Wheat should not be sown on land
the drainage of which is poor. If
the land is subject to overflow, or if
water stands on it after rains, wheat
should not be sown, for the plants
will not live and thrive on such land.
Low places in fields can often be
drained sufficiently to prevent injury
from standing water by opening fur
rows in the direction of the natural
slope. A soil to be good for wheat
should contain plenty. of vegetable
matter and plant food and should
not be acid.
Preparation of Bed and Sowing Seed.
When wheat follows a cultivated
crop. such as corn or cotton, the
soil can usually be prepared for seed
ing by going over it one or more
times with a disk harrow and then
narrowing thoroughly with an ordi-
nary harrow. If weeds are plenti-
full, plowing 8 to inches deep may
be necessary, but will take more
time. Narrowing with an ordinary
harrow should follow the plowing.
After a good seed bed is thus pre-
pared, the seed should be sown about
l 1-2 inches deep with grain drill
if such an implement is available.
The same drill that is used for seed
ing oats or barley can be used for