The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1914-04-24
CULTIVATION OF SMALL GRAIN

that it never needs cultivation. We
venture to mention some conditions
under which it pays to cultivate small
grain.
If wheat is sown in the fall on
heavy land, and beating rain comes,
followed by hot sun, rs often hap
pens, forming thick crust which
prevents the seed from coming up,
that field needs cultivation. 1t may
be by a roller; it may be with har.
row; but unless that crust is broken
up there will be a small crop. We had
this wildly impressed Igon our mind
when n boy. In the absence of faith
err, field was put in wheat in first
class condition in September, 1t was
all seeded in fine condition immediate
ly before heavy rain, except couple
Of acres in the middle of the field,
which could not be seeded until after
wards. The yield on this small piece
as we remember it, was about twice
rs much as on the rest If the field 1t
was the same kind of land, the same
cultivation, the same seed, the only
difference being that the rest missed
cultivation just when It needed it,
which was given to the small piece in
the breaking up Of tn crust in the
process Of seeding.
Winter wheat fields often in the
spring Of the year need Cultivation. BY
freezing and thawing, some OF IN,
roots will be partially lifted out. a
crust is liable to be formed. The land
may be wccdy, and weeds start up
thick between the drills. This wheat
needs cultivation, on ordinary prairie
soils east Of the Mississippi River, with
the harrow. Under the conditions pc
culiar to Nebraska soils, the work
seems to be done better by the roller;
but it should have some kind of cul-
tivation, and the kind that seems to be
most effective under the conditions in
the ncighborhood. Just here is "A good
chance to sow clover seed, and while
cultiyating the wheat cover the grass
seed.
This cultivation, however, whether
with the roller or the harrow, should
never be done except when the soil /.
in first-class condition 10 harrow ~
roll it when wet would 90 no possil,
good. and might do great deal Of
harm. The same is true Of rye, and IN
both cases when soWn N drills.
a great many farmers fear 10 uu'
the harrow on their wheat for fear il
will iujure it. We thought so, too
when we first tried it, some lively,
yers ago. 1t does for 8 day or TIVE
look as if it had been injured, simply
because you have thrown dust on the
leaves. The first shower will remedy
that, Or it viii be rcmcdicd oven with,
out rain. What you have done is tc
break up any crust that may have
formed, to kill such weeds as have
terminated, and to cover your grass
seed.
1t is seldom Il man can do as much
good in one day in wheat field as
he can with a harrow. As to the
weight of the harrow, take the kind Of
harrow that does the business. We
prefer a rather heavy, straight tooth
harrow; but there may be conditions
in which n slant-tooth harrow would
be preferable, or even a horse weeder
The wheat should not be narrowed un-
til it is well started, two or three inch
es high. The later the better, so that
no injury is done to the wheat
There are often times when oats or
spring wheat need narrowing. Often
after these grains are sown, we have
heavy, beating rain, and a crust is
formed preventing the aeration OF the
plant roots, ana faVoring evaporation
or the waste OF water IN the under
soil. Under these conditions no farm
err should hesitate about putting on
harrow and narrowing quite thorough
ly. We prefer 10 narrow the same