296 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



ESSAY ON THE CULTURE OF WHEAT AND BARLEY. 



By HENEY GADDIS, op Grafton, Yolo County. 



Having been requested to present mj" vieAvs on the above topic in 

 the form of an essaj", I would say in the commencement that I feel 

 "unable to do it justice, notwithstanding its interest to me, and therefore 

 enter upon it with some reluctance. 1 am aware that a large portion of 

 the farmers of this State seek for knowledge upon this most important 

 branch of agriculture, and that others have v^-ritten upon it ; conse- 

 quentl}" my opinions ma}' not be regarded as original. The}' arc, how- 

 ever, my own views, derived from m}^ own experience, which, 1 believe, 

 in most cases is a better guide than mere theoretical knowledge. 



That portion of the farm which is devoted to the culture of wheat and 

 barley should be ploughed Avith a good turning plough, not less than six 

 inches deep, turning the furrOAvs so close as to prevent the grOAA'th of 

 grass or foul Aveeds. The Avork should be done in the month of Feb- 

 ruary, or at the latest, in March, during the grOAving season of the year, 

 when nature is in active and full operation, and before noxious Aveeds 

 Lave time to mature their seeds. It not unfrequentl}^ occurs, on land of 

 great natural fertility, that a single ploughing is insufficient to prevent 

 the growth of its indigenous productions. There is danger, especially 

 if the ploughing is succeeded by copious shoAvers of rain, tliat the 

 natural Aveeds Avill groAv again during the summer, and tlie land become 

 '•foul." In such a case it might be supposed that an additional ])lough- 

 ing AA'ould Avell repay the labor. But California farmers Avill perhaps 

 object to this, on account of the high price of labor in this country. It 

 is CA'ident that we cannot groAV grain and Aveeds simultaneously Avithout 

 alloAving the groAvth of the weeds to impede that of the grain. In such 

 eases it will be found advantageous, and even necessary, at least to har- 

 roAV the land Avith a heav}' double Y harroAV, or Avhat is better, to plough 

 it Avith a four-horse plough cultivator, as soon as Aveeds make their 

 appearance. The land should he in sucli condition as not to require 

 ploughing in the fall before seed time. The process above described is 

 called summer fallmchuj^ and is usually regarded as the basis of good 

 husbandry Avherever tillage is best understood. By no other means can 

 clay soils be so well pulverized and disintegrated, and it Avill, I am confi- 

 dent, in a fcAv years become an almost universal practice on the upland 



