CULTURE OF WHEAT. 137 



So far as my experience goes, I would rather plough it as late 

 as I can in the spring. If I am going to raise a crop of pota- 

 toes, I let the land lie until I am nearly ready to plant. Then 

 the grass roots get a little start, and if it is well turned over, I 

 find less work in cultivating it, and I think I get a better crop 

 than by ploughing at any other time of the year. That is 

 because I do not break the turf. The land which I plough in 

 the fall is land which I wish to cultivate by completely pulver- 

 izing the ground. I do not think there is any danger of our 

 ploughing too much. We are in the hab?t, many of us, of 

 ploughing only once, in the raising of our smaller grains, and 

 formerly, I used to plough only once, but I now invariably 

 plough twice. Ploughing the first time as early as I can, 

 harrow the ground o\er, let it lie until it is in a suitable condi- 

 tion to put in the seed, and then plough the second time. 

 There is one crop, wheat, that I think should be put in early, 

 whether the ground is in good condition or not. If it is in 

 condition so that we can possibly work it, I think the testimony 

 of almost every individual is, that it is better to put in the 

 wheat crop early. But that is a crop that is not raised to a 

 very great extent. The question has been mooted here, whether 

 we can raise it in Massachusetts. I think we can raise it in 

 Massachusetts just as well as they can in other parts. As I 

 have said, if we will give a little attention to it, and each farmer 

 put in from one to three acres, we shall save a great amount of 

 money that is expended for breadstuffs brought from the West. 

 I hope and trust, that we shall give more attention to that 

 subject than we have, and make the trial, and see if we cannot 

 do more in the matter of raising wheat than we have heretofore. 



Mr. Clement. In connection with this matter of ploughing 

 and subsoiling, I would like to remark, that some years ago one 

 of my neighbors had a subsoil plough, and I thought I would 

 try it on my own ground. I was then working a piece of sandy 

 soil, and I subsoiled it as deep as I could. I saw no beneficial 

 results arising from that, and I do not know that it could 

 reasonably be expected from land of that character. 



As has been previously remarked, I do not believe in plough- 

 ing heavy soil very deeply. I think, if you plough heavy soil 

 deeply, and bury your manure deeply, and then plant corn upon 

 the surface, you will scarcely perceive any benefit at all from it, 



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