Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1915-03-17
Making Two Grain. Of Wheat
Grow Where Only One
Grew Before.

the ordinary methods OF farm
ing? An Indiana farmer says il
can, and that he is doing it. II
Wallace's Farmer he writes il
regard to the matter as follows:
Il am convinced that farmer
who does not raise sixty bushel!
of wheat per acre under average
weather conditions is not doing
himself nor his land justice il
most any of the corn belt state!
of the middle west, and 1 fee
that | know reasonably well wha
I am talking about In making
this statement.
II have farmed for many
years, and have studied farming
most carefully, and have
in past years drilled in my
wheat one way and then cross
drilled it, but l finally succeed
ed in getting a drill made fo1
putting the rows only three inch
es apart instead o. six, seven OF
eight inches, as is common. ]
have carefully tested out this
idea of putting the drill rows
only three inches apart and
while we did not get sixty bush
els of wheat last year per acre
on our eighty acres, yet it was
because it was the drjest season
mere that has been known to the
oldest inhabitants, but my wheat
measured forty-three bushels
per acre-machine measure-ot
splendid quality, and am send
ing you to day a sample of the
wheat.
MY neighbors, with just a.
good land, just as we'll prepared
and seeding at practically tn,
,ame season, only putting thei'
grain in rows seven or eigh
inches apart, only produced l.
bushels per acr. on the average
'r only about 25 per cent of tin
yield that my farm produced b!
seeding in drill rows only three
nches apart. I am contide'
hat in a good year, with the drill
rows only three inches apart
hat I can produce an average
ield of sixty bushels or more
er acre.
Il have met with many peork
Who have had many doubts OF
this system of seeding. Tley
said the grain would not develore
properly. Some Of them said il
vas so thick on the ground that
the clover would not grow to dt
my good. I have simply said to
each Of them to come and visit
our fields at harvest time, and
every visitor who came at cut
ting time. when We were cutting
our grain, admitted it was the
finest field of wheat that he had
ever seen, Notwithstanding the
long, severe drouth. This is the
most convincing argument they
could have, because seeing is
believing"
1T seems to me that the ad-
vantage in favor of drill rows
three inches apart is most plain,
because no one ever saw wheat
that would stool out and cover a
six inch space between the rows,
much less seven or eight inches.
This six, seven or eight nch space
between the rows is always filled
with ragweed or other obnoxious
weeds, that take just as much of
the substance out of the soil to
grow them as it would to grow
that much wheat. This being
true, which every intelligent
farmer will admit, would it not
then be more profitable to grow
wheat instead of weeds? When
using a drill that puts in the
rows only three inches apart
we are using the space for wheat
instead of weeds, and in this way
the moisture is retained to q very
much better advantage.
1t has been the custom in our
part of the country to SOW one
and a half bushels of wheat
per acre, with the drill rows
six, seven or eight inches apart,
but in making the rows three
inches apart, ! use two bushels
per acre, which gives an increase
IN the seed per acre of half q
bushel; but it means less grain
in each individual seed row, be-
cause we have just twice as many
~rhnv e;~ ;~ohoe o~o.k