THE GEKESEE FARMEE. 



269 



troin the wheat fields in winter, and the small spots 

 of ground upon which the 'shucks' stood are sown 

 with spring wheat." 



KENTUCKY. — "That the natural produce of 

 wheat is much smaller in the fine grazing lands in 

 Kentucky than in the country immediately to the 

 south and north of lakes Erie and Ontario, Avas the 

 testimony of all the farmers with whom I con- 

 versed. The same lands which yield on an aver- 

 age 75 bushels of Indian corn, would not yield 

 more than 18 bushels of wheat. In Southern Ohio 

 and Kentucky, those conditions of climate prevail 

 which are favorable to producing the maximum 

 yield of corn, but which are not equiiUy well suited 

 for large crops of wheat." 



_ " The ground is seldom manured for crops of any 

 kind in Kentucky or Ohio. As yet labor appears 

 to be worth more when applied in cultivating a 

 larger area of land than in collecting and applying 

 manure to a smaller one. However, as the most 

 of the stock is fed out of doors, there is little ma- 

 nure made about the yards. The principal maize- 

 producing districts in Ohio are along the margins 

 of the Scioto and Miami rivers, which are too rich 

 for wheat. General Bieece, in his address to the 

 agricidturists assembled at the county fair at Me- 

 dina, said that ' sandy land is preferable for wheat 

 over clay soils.' This sounds rather curiously to a 

 Scotch farmer. The General gave a chemical rea- 

 son for it, which I need not repeat ; but the cir- 

 cumstance shows how much climate may alter our 

 ideas respecting the characters of the soils which 

 are best suited to certain crops." 



Michigan. — There is an interesting aceoimt of 

 the farm of Mr. Uhl, " a most intelligent agricul- 

 turist, who resides in the neighborhood of Ypsi- 

 lantu" The land, he says, is oak opening. 



" The soil consists of a light sand, which seemed 

 to contain so small a percentage of vegetable mat- 

 ter, that I thought it might do to mix with lime to 

 make mortar. There is little difference in the color 

 of the soil and of the subsoil. And I was surprised 

 when Mr. Uhl assured me, that as good wheat and 

 potatoes would be raised upon what was brought 

 up twenty feet below the surface as on the surface 

 soil itself. If he plows deep, he considers that 

 there is no occasion for applying any extraneous 

 manure, save a little gypsum, for the clover or the 

 Indian corn. The condition of this farm, when 

 contrasted with those adjoining, served to confirm 

 the opinion I had already formed, that the wheat 

 soils of America stand less in need of manure th-axi 

 of good cultivation, and a rotation of crops of not 

 t<X) exhausting a character. The young layers of 

 red clover on this farm were beautiful ; even the 

 plants in those fields which had been pastured 

 for two years were thick and vigorous. The 

 rotation which he prefers is three years in* clover 

 followed by Indian corn, and then wheat. Amonc^ 

 the latter, clover is again sown. Wheat, how° 

 ever, is generally sown after clover in this iiart 

 of Michigan." * * * '" P^^ 



* * "One farm, of 110 acres, not aU arable 

 was pomted out where the land is very light but 

 on which YO acres were sown with wheat, and on 

 some of the fields several crops had been tak en in 

 succession. 



" IJnder good management, 30 bushels of wheat 

 are sometimes got to the acre over the tarm ; but 

 the average pi'oduce in Michigan is not one-half of 

 this quantity." 



Mr. Russell, in company with Prof. Holmes, 

 Secretary of the Michigan State Agricultural Soci- 

 ety, visited the farm of the President of the Soci- 

 ety, at Prairie Ronde. 



"The farm is 160 acres in extent, and two young 

 men performed all the labor. On this he cultivates 

 60 acres of wheat, and 60 of Indian corn, every 

 year. These crops are often taken alternately for 

 a number of years. A peculiarity in the mode of 

 raising Indian corn was seen on tliis farm, which 

 admits of the land being thoroughly cultivated by 

 the plow in summer. It was planted in rows, a'^t 

 intervals of eight feet, and the distance between 

 the plants in the rows from six to eight inches. 

 Wheat can be sown early in autumn, and grubbed 

 or harrowed in long before the Indian corn is har- 

 vested. In fact, while I was there, though thfe 

 wheat was matted over the ground, I saw a wagon 

 drawn by a horse betwixt the rows of corn, and a 

 man on each side pulling ofl:' the ears and throwing 

 them into it. The stalks of Indian corn were left 

 standing as before, and would remain till spring, 

 affording some protection to the wheat plant against, 

 the high winds that sweep across this country in 

 winter. Even where Indian corn was cultivated 

 in three-feet rows or squares, wheat was growing 

 among the withered stalks from which the grain 

 had been gathered. Thus, although wages are 

 high, and the crops of winter wheat do not average 

 more than 14 to 16 bnshels to the acre, yet they 

 are raised at comparatively little expense in alter- 

 nation with maize, which yields from 45 to 70 

 bushels, 



_ " The young layers of red clover were thick and 

 vigorous. Wtien a field is seeded for grass, it is 

 allowed to remain for two or three years, whicli. 

 serves to solidify the soil, and i;end"er it better 

 adapted for winter wheat. Around some of tiie 

 fields the finer pasture grasses ^vere growing luxu- 

 riantly, and producing a fine herbage." 



Wheat on the Pkaibies. — " It is owing to the 

 nature of the soil of the prairies, and not co the 

 climate, that so little wheat is sown in autumn. 

 This appeared quite ovident from the fact of autumn 

 wheat being sown on all the gravelly soils of the 

 prairie knolls. The high winds, attended with in- 

 tense frosts in winter, often destroy the wheat 

 plants, and the spring tVosts and thaws also are apt 

 to_ throw them out of the loose and opea prairie 

 soils._ Thase agents, and the tendency of the wheat 

 to mildew, are the causes of so little being.sown in 

 autumn. Wheat succeeds wehi as a first crop when 

 the i^rairies are broken up, for' the plants- obtain a 

 firm hold among the roots -of the natural grasses 

 and herbs ; but as soon as ib.e turf beco:aaes mold- 

 ered down into a loose and -friable soil, it is liable 

 to suffer from the winter and spring Ircsts, and is 

 then far from being a sur<'; crop. For these rea- 

 sons it is not probable tb at the prairies will ever 

 produce much fine winter wheat, but I am greatly 

 mistaken if tlioy do not Irf jcome the principal region 

 for the growth of sprirv g varieties, wiLicli can be 

 raised with great iacilitj ," 



