Wheat in the Wheatfield

Here in Denmark modern farmers usually use wheat with reduced height... I would think it is the same in the US.

This photo is from a reenactment of a fight on July 3rd 1864 at Lundby in Denmark.
(done at the correct date and location in 2014)

For the event The local farmer had planted a bread without this "shortener" to get it to a more historical height.
(we are 15cm taller on average than Danish soldiers back then where)

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In 1864 some of the danes who got shot simply disappeared until the locals did the harvest in august... and found their bodies.
 
Based on a bit of internet research , 19th century wheat reached 4 feet . Modern varieties were bred to reduce stalk height and are generally 18" to 2 feet tall.
The same with many varieties of corn. I know some sweet corn varieties have been bred to only reach 4-5'. I remember my grandfather's corn was 8-10' tall.
 
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When I was growing up in the 50's our wheat grew to about 36 to 40 inches. Any heavy rain with wind would cause it to "lodge" and fall flat to the ground which would make it harder to harvest with machines. New breeds are much shorter.
Were you guys making wheat straw after cutting the wheat?
 
Not sure what harvester the famer doing that particular field had. Technology was changing at that time. But the wheat had to be tied into shocks to keep it dry before threshing. Very labor intensive. Taller wheat, taller shock, maybe easier to tie. Depending on the operation they needed wheat straw for bedding, etc. Got two crops in one, wheat itself and straw.
 
When I was growing up in the 50's our wheat grew to about 36 to 40 inches. Any heavy rain with wind would cause it to "lodge" and fall flat to the ground which would make it harder to harvest with machines. New breeds are much shorter.
That’s about the height of the wheat I remember from my grandfather’s farm.
 
What was the average height of a soldier in 1863? If they’re averaging 5’6”, 4’ wheat would be about chest high with some embellishment.
Charles Teague, retired Ranger at Gettysburg, compiled a handy booklet called "Gettysburg by the Numbers". He puts the average height of a soldier at 5'8". He gives the average weight as 143 lbs.
 
Too bad you weren't a member of CWT yet - In both September 2016 and 2017 Gettysburg was the location for our first two now-annual CWT Gatherings or Musters and approximately 30 - 35 of our members attended both. The second one we returned to Gettysburg specifically to participate in a motor coach tour of Lee's retreat route to the Potomac conducted by member author Eric Wittenberg who also took us on a visit to East Cavalry Battlefield. Other guides and members described other areas of the battlefield. Autumns that have followed have taken our groups to Chickamauga in 2018; Vicksburg and related sites in 2019; and despite the "pandemic" last October to Shiloh. This October we're going to Antietam, Harper's Ferry, and South Mountain if you care to tag along!
James,

I'm fairly new on the block but I'm sure that would have been great to meet you all back in 2016-17. The invite for this fall is much appreciated but I'm tied up with other business right now as much as I'd like to be there.

Bill
 
thethe johnson grass that grows behind my house is about chest high by early june. the farmer cuts it for hay usually in june. it looks kinda like wheat with the tassle and everything on it. was wheat actually grown there? or maybe it is a misnomer?
Pretty sure it was wheat.
According to Pfanz, CPL Oscar West‘s Company laid down in the field and as the Confederate fire clipped off the wheat it fell around him. He admired the quality of the grain so much he began gathering it. He wanted to send some home to Massachusett. Imagine his disappointment when the command was given to rise and advance before he could stuff it into his haversack.
 
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