STA.TE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 183 



furrow" so thoroughly that no green grass is visible in it. Having 

 done this much, nature then steps in and the process of the decom- 

 position of the tough prairie sod commences. Usually by the 

 middle of the ensuing August the sod has so far decomposed that 

 you can commence " backsetting." This can be done with your 

 breaking plow unless the gauge wheel prevents the plow from 

 running deep enough. If so, change it for the strongest stirring 

 plow you can get. Commence "backsetting" at the dead-furrow — 

 throwing your furrows in and towards it, and bring up three or four 

 inches of fresh dirt. Simply turning over the sod is of no account, 

 and is worse than useless. It is full as heavy work to " backset" 

 properly as to break, and it costs as much to do it. You have now 

 laid a substantial foundation for success, and it will be good practice 

 to let the ground rest till the following spring, that the action of 

 the elements may step in and aid you in the process of disintegra- 

 tion. Then commence harrowing, and harrow "till you can't rest." 

 By this time, unless it is a peculiarly perverse piece of ground, you 

 have got it pretty thoroughly "bulldozed," and if you are in no 

 urgent hurry to get your trees planted, plant the ground to corn 

 or potatoes, the thorough cultivation of which leaves the ground 

 in excellent condition. If you can't plant to some hoed crop, you 

 can 



sow IT TO SMALL GRAIN , 



and in doing this you cannot be too careful in procuring clean seed, 

 for an almost imperceptible amount of "foul stuff" is sure to en- 

 tail a vast amount of labor in its extermination. After the crop is 

 off, again plow the ground as deep as you can afford to, bringing 

 up more new dirt. There is no possible danger of plowing too 

 deep for forest trees. In this the danger is all the other way — in 

 shallow plowing. If you are not so situated as to cultivate to crop, 

 then summer-fallow the ground to be plante d the coming fall or 

 spring. 



When to plant is now the question. Either fall or spring, 

 which ? Could I predict with any certainty what the weather 

 would be for six months ahead, I could answer this question posi- 

 tively. Without this positive knowledge, th e best I can do is to 

 present the " pros " and "cons," leaving you to assume the respon- 

 sibility to go ahead on your own judgmen t. If fall planting is 

 preferred, don't begin until the frost has killed the foliage. In our 

 latitude about the first week in October is early enough to com- 

 mence, and you can keep on planting until the ground freezes up. 



