394 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



ing for crops were let April, 1888, and one field was ready for seeding, May 

 31, and the other, July 5. The benefit of the early spring rains was thus 

 lost by late seeding, and the dry weather of last summer was a serious draw- 

 back ; but I now call your attention to the results as far as reached in one 

 season's growth on the experiment farm on the pine barrens. 



PREPARING THE SOIL. 



The south field was cleared of trees and shrubs (except three Norway 

 pines), grubbed and cleaned of everything that would withstand the plow. 

 It was desirable to fit the field speedily for crops, and hence the grubbing 

 was very complete. If I were clearing a farm for my own use, and in no 

 hurry about cropping, I think I should only remove the oak grubs and leave 

 the jack pine stumps to rot. Unless the oak grubs can be killed by "sprout- 

 ing" it would be cheaper to remove them at the outset. 



The land was plowed to the depth of seven inches. Many farmers get 

 good results by plowing only two inches deep the first time, to kill the ferns 

 and huckleberry bushes. This is done in the dry summer months, and acts 

 as a summer fallow. In the fall or spring the land is plowed deep for 

 crops. But I could not wait for a summer fallow, and wanted to seed the 

 first season. Most of the wild plants were killed by this deep plowing, 

 though a few brakes came up on this field. 



I look with suspicion on summer fallows for these sands. Soil bareness 

 leads to soil barrenness on light sands. To keep these lands covered with 

 some form of vegetable growth is an important step in their improvement. 



SUBDUING AND COMPACTING THE SOIL. 



After plowing, the land was harrowed with a spring-tooth sulky harrow. 

 The flat harrow was useless because it became choked and clogged with roots 

 and trash. The harrow was followed by a spring-tooth horse-rake to gather 

 the loose trash into windrows for burning. The horse-rake is the quickest 

 and cheapest way to gather this refuse material, which is burned on the field 

 and the ashes left for manure. The land was then rolled with a Johnson & 

 Fields roller. The harrowing, raking, burning and rolling was repeated 

 twice before the land was ready for seeding. The roller should be heavy, to 

 compact the soil as much as possible. 



SEEDING THE SOUTH FIELD. 



The field was divided, north and south, into 21 plats nearly four rods 

 wide, and a little more than 40 rods long, containing nearly one acre each. 

 These were seeded on the last day of May and first day of June, the seeding 

 being done for the most part with a Disc roller drill, but the light and 

 chaffy grass seeds were sown by hand and harrowed in. After seeding, the 

 whole field was again rolled. 



THE NORTH FIELD. 



The field of 20 acres at the north end of the farm was cleared and pre- 

 pared for seeding in all respects like the south field. It was ready for seed- 

 ing July 5th. A square of one-quarter of an acre, in the northwest corner, 



