Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1878 — Wheat Sowing. [ARTICLE]

Wheat Sowing.

As one of the great staples of the United States, the wheat crop is worthy of every advantage that it can possibly have. The profit of wheat-raising depends not so much on the area in cultivation, as on the yield per acre. In nearly all items of expense it costs about as much to raise ten bushels as it does to raise twenty bushels per acre. A little difference in the preparation of the soil and seed, and in putting the latter in the ground, will often make all the difference between a profitable crop and one that does not pay ex : penses. It is important, therefore, to give strict heed to all the conditions essential to success in this business. Much depends on the condition of the soil. I shall not stop to consider the different kinds of soils or the manures by which they may be fertilized, but snail proceed to invite attention to some of the mechanical means to be employed to bring it into the best condition for the reception of the crop. In the preparation of the soil by mechanical means, the object should be to stir it deeply and pulverize it thoroughly. It is impossible to get a soil too finely pulverized for a wheat crop. Indeed, much of its vigor and healthfulness, and especially its productiveness, depends on this condition. The fine, feeding roots will not enter a hard clod any more than they will a stone; and hence lir a soil that is large-

ly composed of these, the growing crop will be unable to get the benefit of a considerable proportion of the plantfood stored up in it. The harrow and roller should be employed to reduce tbe soil to as fine a tilth as possible. The finer the soil is pulverized, the greater the amount that will be accessible to the roots of the growing crop. And where it is sufficiently fine, the roots will find their way to all parts; their number will be greatly increased, and the crop will derive the greatest possible benefit from the soil. But depth of soil is of as much importance to a wheat crop as fineness. The roots of the wheat plant penetrate deeply when the circumstances are favorable.. The average depth is about three to four feet, but in favorable soils they run considerably deeper. In one case the roots of wheat of only forty-five days’ growth were found to have penetrated a light soil to a depth of seven feet. From these examples we may see the importance of a deeply pulverized soil in order to get the most vigorous growth possible. This depth of soil becomes especially useful in seasons of drought. If by shallow plowing, and a compact subsoil, the roots of the wheat are confined to a few inches of the surface soil, a severe spell of dry weather will prove very damaging to the growth of the crop, and cannot fail to greatly reduce the product. A deeply stirred soil will admit the roots to a depth that will give them access to a constant supply of moisture, even during times of severe dry weather, and thus a good yield will be insured when otherwise it would probably be father meager. A soil prepared as here suggested seldom fails to give satisfactory returns. The preceding crop often has a very important bearing on the fate of its successor, and it is well, even in the absence of a regular rotation, to have regard jo the coming wheat crop when planning for other crops. Probably the very best crop to precede wheat is red clover. This, even when mown, leaves a large amount of organic matter in the soil, and this is composed largely of those substances most needed by the wheat plant. To get the most good from a clover crop, it should be turned under when the flowers are generally drying up. If the surface is well cultivated Once or twice before the time to sow wheat, it will prove very beneficial. Flax is an excellent crop to precede leave the soil just in the best condition for the wheat to prosper. Buckwheat and the various root crops leave the ground in good condition for wheat, but they do not generally come oil the ground as early as it is best to sow wheat. In the Eastern and Middle States it is not advisable to sow wheat after wheat, as the later crop seldom succeeds well under such circumstances. But in the wheat regions of the West, it is a common practice to keep the same ground in wheat for a considerable number of years. And the practice does not seem to have any injurious effect upon the crop. Having the grain propbrly prepared, the manner of showing becomes an important question. The advantages of drilling over broad-cast sowing are now so generally understood that it would hardlytseem necessary to argue the point; yet there are some who still seem not to understand these advantages. It is certainly a matter of considerable importance to have a perfect.. ly even distribution of the seed over the surfaee. This can be done only by the use of the drill. A matter of even greater interest is to have the seed placed at a uniform depth, and more especially to have it put in direct contact with the moist soil. The impossibility of accomplishing these ends by any other means than by the drill will be conceded by all. In bfoad-cast, sowing, the grain is generally thrown on the top of a dry surface, and, even if covered by the drag or harrow, it is just as likely to be in contact with dry soil as with moist. That which pomes in contact with moist soil will probably germinate and grow at once, while that which is left in dry dirt will have to wait for a rain or for a slow and tedious germination, owing to a deficiency of moisture. It is easy, to see that, under such circumstances, the growth will be quite uneven.— Kansas. Cor. Rural New Yorker. —Ex-Gov. English, of New Haven, was visited by a tramp, the other day, who begged for an old pair of shoes, and after receiving tbemreturned in an hour or two and asked for twenty cents to pay for getting them mended. Whxn you see » bright baby, pleased with Itself and everybody else, be sure that Dr. Bull’s Baby Syrup has been used. Only 25 ' cents • bottle.