Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1874 — Mulching Wheat in Winter. [ARTICLE]

Mulching Wheat in Winter.

Mulching rices and shrubs is extensively practiced by gardeners and orohardists to prevent injury from drought in summer, and we can see no giK)d reason why the same practice should not be extended to the small grains or even vegetables raised upon every farm. There are nwiij localities where little •or no snow falls in winter to protect the small grains sown in autumn, and these frequently sutler greatly from exposure j to frosts and drying winds during the j colder months, droughts being probably -| the more injurious of the two, through quite extended w heat-grow ing regions of j the West and South. Mulching, or, as it ] _ usually called, top-dressing the grain in ; fall with some coarse kind of material,! such as half-decayed straw, lowland or j prairie hay, will, in a great measure, ; prevent Kisses from the causes named. : in addition to the benefits derived from the application in the way of preserving moisture am? protection from cold, such materials will add something to the feitiliiy of the soil, and at the time and til ace most needed. The lo w average yield of w inter grain in Kansas, Missouri and other comparatively mild climates, and where the land is naturally very rich, shows that there is something lack- i ing to bring the crops up to a standard ; which might be reasonably expected under the circumstances, and we have not the .least doubt that winter protec- j tion in the form of mulching is just the thing needed. There are localities! where the materials suitable for mulch-j ing cannot be obtained in sufficient , quantities or at a cost which would ad- ! mit of their extended application:; but we may safely presume iliat in regions where they are most meded they are . abundant.* In fact, we Know that mill-. ions of tons of straw have been burned up to get rid of it in the prairie States, I And just where it is most needed for j mulching? ... '* 1 The straw from this year's harvest, if spread out into wide, low piles, will become decayed sufficiently to be used for mulch by the time cold weather sets in, At which time it should be spread thinly j over the field. Fresh, dry straw will be i too light to remain where placed, and; would soon be carried off by the winds. Coarse, strawy manure from the bafayardis still hetter, adding fertility to the soil, besides affording protection to the , joung grain.» j

Where snows cover the ground the greater part of winter the mulching is not needed, and if applied in any considerable quantities it might smother \.e grain, thereby doing more injury than good. But well rotted barnyard manure may be applied quite liberally in ti e autumn with benefit to all kinds of winter grain, borne of our best farmt s practice this method of applying manu e in preference to hauling out upon flu ( r summer fallows and plow ing under. If straw cannot be‘had then use the wee ds and coarse sedges from the sw amps and low grounds; even sawdust or tanbark is far better than nothing. If those farmery who complain of " winter-killing of their wheat" would practice this system of mulching we believe they wodld find it beneficial,, and in the end profitable. Neither manure aor other kinds of mulch should be ap

plied until cool dr cofld weather, or as soon as the ground is hard enough to admit of driving over it without injuring the roots of the grain. -r-New Fork Sun.