Fertile Wheat-Fields

Southland Times, Issue 10197, 1 July 1889, Page 4

Fertile Wheat-Fields

. -• . • - + Fields that have not been under cultivation for twenty-five or thirty years, or since the advent of tbe American farmer, are to-day as fresh and productive as in the beginnings No exhausted fields are heard of on the farms of General Bidwell Judge Pratt, and others in Butte. or on Hock farm, once the home of General Batter, and other old farms in Butter country, or any of the older farms in Ynba, and on none of theae has any. maDure or fer tilizer ever been used, for the simple reason tbat the farms were too large to admit of it. Laying the land ovtx in fallow is the best method of improving the soil and gaining the best results. The * enormous crops of wheat lait year (from twenty-five to fifty bushels to the acre) were grown on summer fallowed land. This treatment is not a California discovery, but like many other methods in agriculture hts been brought to a much higher state of perfection in ohr climate and by the hands of our progressive farmers. The first knowledge we have of its adoption in this State was by the late Samuel Danville of Tuba county, in 1858, on one of bi« farms on the Honout, on what was considered worthless upland— red, gravelly and very dry. The result was marvellous, giving* yield of from thirty to forty bnahela to the acre. From this venture the practice spread to Butter and other counties until it has become quite general throughout the State. But even thi« method has been largely improved upon here and witfc great success. Tie great secret is to plough the soil when in good 'ploughable CQAdjtioa I—&«H»er1 — &«H»er too wet not too dry, Tke

finer the surface the better the fallow and the better the succeeding crop. If a single ploughing will do this, all well ; if stirring or reploughing is reqaired, it will pay;. A growth of grass or weeds on the fallow is an injury and should be suppressed. The kind of tool with which to exterminate it is in> material. First, deep ploughing, then stirring shallow is good. Both methods are extensively practised by onr best farmers.. Rough ground endures excessive wet weather best, and well pulverized soil standelexcewive dry weather best, or at least the crops do.— Sutter County Farmer,