No. 10. 



Sowing Wheat in July. 



309 



infant manufactures. The American farmer 

 feels a conscious greatness and independence, 

 when he can appear clad in the vestments 

 wrought by the hands of his sisters, or wife, 

 or daughters. But above all, the real patriot 

 Bees and rejoices that our future dependence 

 on foreign manufactures can be no longer as- 

 serted ; and that our national wants can be 

 supplied from our own internal resources, 

 whenever the true policy of the government 

 may require the measure. These are the 

 consequences of the introduction of the Me- 

 rino sheep. For ever honoured by his coun- 

 try be the man, who obtained the golden 

 fleece, and returned with it to our shores; 

 who has declared a second independence for 

 our country. — Eulogium by T. Clowes. 



From the American Farmer. 

 Sowing Wheat in July. 



Wheatland, 8th March, 1848, 



Mr. Editor, — In reply to the enquiry of 

 "A Patuxent Farmer," in the March num- 

 ber of the Farmer, I will state, that I have 

 made enquiries of several of the friends of 

 early sowing, and have been informed by a 

 neighbour of Mr. Hossenger, of Newark, 

 Delaware — who was the first to sow wheat in 

 July in this country — that his practice has 

 been for five or six years, to sow wheat 

 amongst his corn in July, and cultivate it in, 

 from which practice he lias obtained as high 

 as 25 bushels per acre. I also understand, 

 that during that time he has not failed to 

 make a good crop but once. Mr. Hossenger 

 continues that practice — many others in that 

 neighbourhood have adopted the same plan; 

 others have sown cornstalk fallow, and even 

 clover-lay, with a like good result. Mr. 

 Hossenger and most others, do not approve 

 of pasturing down their wheat, either in fall 

 or spring. But Mr. Wfn. Bowman, one of 

 the best and most successful farmers of St. 

 George's Hundred, is in the habit of pastur- 

 ing his July sown wheat with sheep. Pos- 

 sibly pasturing with sheep would be no dis- 

 advantage if fly was in the wheat. I should 

 prefer to risk the fly, and not pasture. The 

 July wheat sowers are generally our best 

 farmers, and our best farmers generally at 

 this day of agricultural improvement, put in 

 all their fallow wheat with the drill. I have 

 not sown any yet in standing corn, but I 

 think I will put in in that way next July, 

 and either cultivate or have a machine made 

 with five drills, nine inches apart, to run be 

 tween the rows of corn. I have been in the 

 habit of planting with the drill in rows four 

 feet six inches apart, and one stalk in the 

 Ijill, one foot apart in the rows. Although I 



have seen others sowing wheat in July with 

 great success, I have never yet sown any till 

 near the last of August, and too often, late in 

 September. I am so well satisfied with the 

 practice of Mr. Hossenger, that I shall try 

 to get in all my wheat this year, at least a 

 month earlier than I have ever done before. 

 I think Mr. Hossenger sowed once as early 

 as 23rd of June. 



It is gratifying to us on the eastern side 

 of the Bay, to hear of, and occasionally see, 

 the improvement going on on the western 

 shore — for I too, had the pleasure of seeing 

 those manure heaps on Col. Capron's field at 

 or near Laurel Station, a few weeks since, 

 and those drains and that white fence too, 

 and I was equally well pleased to see about 

 as good a dressing going on near home, on 

 the farm of Mr. Henry Kibler, of Bohemia 

 Manor, Cecil county, Md., — but Mr. Kibler, 

 like Col. Capron, is one of the very best 

 farmers on this side of the Bay, as you may 

 judge from the fact of his having taken 

 twelve hundred and twenty bushels — or 24 

 bushels to the acre — of wheat the last year, 

 from a field from which three hundred and 

 twenty only was taken when last in wheat, 

 and considered a good crop at that. 



Mr. Kibler started, as most other good 

 farmers start, by putting on lime, which 

 made clover — not neglecting his farm-yard 

 manure heap — which, together, has and al- 

 ways will, make the wheat and corn grow, — 

 with this difl^erence, many improvers had the 

 means, as well as the will, to begin with, — 

 will, by the by, is more than halt the battle, 

 — but Mr. Kibler had but little else than an 

 honest face and hard hands, by which to ob- 

 tain credit, wherewith to purchase lime, 

 marl, &c. Mr. Kibler procured his lime on 

 a credit, and in four years after he first de- 

 termined to lime his farm, which consists of 

 over 300 acres, he had the whole covered at 

 the rate of 40 bushels to the acre, and paid 

 for, by a portion of the cro{5s grown ; a kind 

 of rent, in which the limeburner was amply 

 paid for his lime, and Mr. Kibler was as well 

 repaid for his labour — and the above is the 

 result. He is now top-dressing all his land 

 with marl, not neglecting his barn-yard at 

 the same time. 



Other valuable improvements have come 

 under my notice, one of which I will men- 

 tion. Mr. G. G. Whilaker, purchased an 

 old field for ten dollars per acre, near Prin- 

 cipio furnace, about five years ago, upon 

 which he put on about 50 bushels of quick 

 lime per acre at first, and subsequently gave- 

 it a further top-dressing of ashes, upon clo- 

 ver, of 200 bushels per acre, with perhaps a 

 portion of barn-yard manure, but no other 

 bought manures. Last fall I was invited 



