170 SHELBY COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 



lent to one day's work for nine teams, at two dollars and a half 

 per day, allowing an extra team for plowing. 



It will never pay to ditch unless you are sure of a good 

 outlet, be it for an open or tile drain. In tile ditching, the 

 best size is a good six or eight inch pipe, end to end, loose 

 joints, and as few curves as possible. In ditching it is always 

 advisable to have the drain so arranged that the water will run 

 quickly into the drains, instead of lying on the ground any 

 length of time. 



WHEAT. 



In drilling wheat I always drill east and west, making the 

 lands not more than eight feet wide, and then all the dead fur- 

 rows will act as drains to carry off the water. Above all, I 

 always have good farm implements, and prefer to buy a new 

 one rather than fix up an old worn-out plow or cultivator. 



RYE AS A FERTILIZER. 



I SOW rye in corn in September, and the next Spring turn 

 the rye under and put it again in corn. This has produced a 

 visible increase over adjoining land, where there was no rye. 

 Where corn stalks are cut up in eight inch pieces and turned 

 under in the Fall or Winter, with a good sixteen inch iron 

 beam plow, it is as good as sowing the rye. 



W. W. THORNTON, 



SHELBYVILLE, SHELBY COUNTY. 



The Redemption of an Old and Neglected Farm — Treatment of 

 Meadow and Pasture Land — Large Crops of Wheat and 

 G-rass. 



MAPLE SHADE FARM. 



On the banks of the Okaw River, three-quarters of a mile 

 from the city of Shelbyville, in Shelby county, is situated 

 one of the old farms of the State. A portion of it had been 

 cultivated for forty-five years, and under the old style of man- 

 agement was gradually wearing out. Falling to the lot of its 

 present owner in 1874, a new departure and cultivation was in- 



