GRAYLING INSTITUTE. 361 



WHEAT. 



In 1881 on first plowing I seeded a small piece of ground to clover, with 

 poor result ; the next year, 1882, I summer fallowed the same piece and 

 sowed it to wheat the last days of August, sowing 1£ bushels of seed and 100 

 pound of salt per acre, yield 15 bushels of wheat per acre. The next year, 

 1883, on 8 acres of first plowing, plowed the first days of July, and wheat 

 sowed the last days of August (that always being my time of seeding), and 

 not sowing more than one and one-half bushels of wheat per acre, it yielded 

 me 90 bushels. The year 1884, on five acres of first plowing and two acres 

 of second plowing, yield 97£ bushels of good clean wheat. Year 1885, on 

 eight acres of first plowing, plowed the last days of June, yield 65 bushels 

 wheat. The next year, 1886, I summer fallowed eight acres and put barn- 

 yard manure on the thinnest spots, and plowed eight acres of wheat stubble, 

 making 16 acres, yield 157 bushels of wheat (being badly winter-killed) ; the 

 next year, 1887, plowing under clover the last of June and sowing to Seal 

 wheat, yield 22£ bushels per acre; the same year on corn ground, following 

 clover, yield 21 bushels of Clawson wheat per acre. I have now eight acres 

 of wheat on the ground, looking fine when it went under the snow. I 

 plow new ground about four and one-half inches deep, second plowing five 

 inches; clover sod 6 inches deep. I cultivate and thoroughly prepare my 

 ground before sowing. I think the more this land is worked the better 

 crops we raise, and that clover and plaster is as good a fertilizer as we need. 

 Plaster to make the growth and clover to plow under to enrich the soil. I 

 am not discouraged with these plains, I think they can be made A No. 1 

 farms. 



DISCUSSION. 



Dr. Beal: At what time of year would you plow new land? 



Mr. Shaf er : The last of June and the first of July. If you plow earlier 

 in the season the wild morning glory will come up afterwards and be a per- 

 fect pest. 



Use a sharp share and plow only four and one-half inches deep and you will 

 not be troubled with sprouts. It kills and rots all there was growing. Besides 

 that it leaves a good mould near the surface in which you can sow clover 

 and have it grow ; whereas, if you plow seven inches deep clover will not catch, 

 as it has only clean dirt to — die in. 



I sow clover by preference the third year from breaking, in August, with 

 wheat, or early in spring, May, sowing alone, on cultivated ground, and drag it 

 in. I have no trouble with it catching, no more than in Lapeer county, 

 where I came from. It does not winter-kill though wheat sometimes does. 



Mr. Metcalf : I have farmed fifty years in Michigan, thirty years in Tus- 

 cola county, on first class land, and have no more trouble with clover here 

 than there. The winter that .killed Mr. Shafer's wheat, killed some for me, 

 but left my clover so that it gave me one ton per acre. 



Mr. Silsby: There is great difference in soils here, and mine is of the 

 worst. 



I have best success with clover by seeding in June. If earlier, a very 

 small insect destroys it. These insects are so small as to be barely visible. 



I never raised more than eight bushels, per acre, of wheat, on my place; 



