Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-04-24
Wheat.

culture to untried parts of farms, to
give attention to soil requirements.
The sowing of seed on unadapted and
unproductive land wastes not only
seed but labor, and reduces the total
harvest accordingly. Ordinarily it is
an ineXcusable form of waste and at
this time should be reduced to the
minimum. The soil best suited to the
production of wheat is one which fur
nishes firm, yet friable seed bed be-
meath which there is a compact sub
slope to allow good surface drainage
and should be provided with subsoil
drainage This soil, furthermore,
should contain plenty of vegetable
matter and plant food and should not
be acid.
These conditions are most nearly
fulfilled in the loan, silt-loam, clay
loan, and some of the clay soils.
Sandy soils and many heavy clay
soils are not so suitable for wheat
growing, the former being too loose
in texture to retain moisture, and the
latter too compact to allow aeratiOn
and proper drainage. A silt loan ov-
erlaying clay is a good combination.
Rye should be sown on the light soils.
PREPARATION. Wheat requires
a well-prepared seedbed. 1t should
be shallow and undertake by firm
soil. Hence, fall-plowed land is de-
sirable, or pillow shallow as early as
possible in the spring. Prepare seed
bed by use of disc harrow, roller and
smoothing harroWs. Do not roll
wheat land after seed is sown.
FERTILIZER. The best fertilizer
to build up the land in preparation
for wheat is to 6 tons per acre of
barnyard manure, with 800 or 400 lbs.
of acid phosphate per acre. 1t is adj
visable, but not necessary, to apply
the manure to a preceding cultivated
crop such as potatoes or corn. If, in
preparing for wheat, too much man
ure is added to a rich soil, heavy
growth of straw and consequent lodg-
ing may result. If manure and acid
phosphate are not available, 800 to
400 pounds of a fertilizer containing
$50 of nitrogen and 8 to 1870 of phos-
phoric acid may be used.
ROTATION. 1t is not advisable to
crop wheat continuously on the same
land, as such a practice results in de-
pleted soil fertility, exhausted soil
moisture in dry sections, poor physi-
cal condition of the soil, increased
growth of weeds, and lowered yields
of poorer quality. Even if soil fer
tility and fairly good physical condi-
ton are maintained by the addition of
chemicals, such a cropping system is
inadvisable, because of it's cost and
the other effects referred to. Wher-
ever possible, wheat should be sown
after some other crop than wheat,
preferably a cultivated one. Wheat
yields well in the Northeast on land
that has been in corn or beans the
previous year. A rotation of grain
crops only is little better than con-
crop is included and humus is likely
to be exhausted.
SEED. The selection of seed may
play an important part in increasing
the crops. 1t is usually advisable to
use home grown wheat for seed, as it
has been shown by experiments that
seed acclimated to a locality gives
better yields than seed of the same
variety brought from a distance. The
practice of changing seed each year
or every few years is not justified by
experimental results. ANY change
that is made should be for the pur-
pose of establishing a better variety
of known value. A new variety should
be tested on small plots in a locality,
in order to establish it's value and al
low for accumulation before gen
orally sOWn. Every farmer, however,
should get good seed, the best to be
had in his community, which would
mean an additional bushel, or even
more per acre and costs no more la
Dor.
Broken, immature, weevil-eaten
and shrivelled grains, weed seeds and
all foreign material should be removed
by flaming and grading the seed be-
fore it is sown. The tanning mill
will also remove smut balls and many
grains affected by scab, as these are
lighter than the sound grain. There
should be at least one mill in each
community. If individuals find the
cost too high, several farmers may
find it desirable to own tanning mill
in common. Use eight pecks of seed
per acre. Drilling will give better re-
suits than broadcasting. Seed as
erly fitted. : Late seeding reduces
yields. In harvesting wheat, care
should be used to prevent grain from
becoming wet or musty. Cut with
self-binder and cure in shock. Dry
the grain thoroughly before storing
in the barn.
LABOR. In some cases the farm
er might easily grow more wheat
simply by changing from other agri-
cultural industries to wheat growing,
but this as a rule is not desirable.
Other products also are needed. There
is greater need than ever before to
economic wherever possible to save
human labor. All unnecessary opera
tions should be eliminated and ma
chinery should be employed wherever
possible to save human labor. Larg-
er machines may be operated by one
man. Three and four-horse teams
may often replace two-horse teams;
one man doing nearly twice as much
work as before. Labor may be econ
omized by cooperation among farm
ers. The one way to economic labor
which is possible to every farmer is |