218 FULTON COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 



had. I use the simple sliding farm gate for entrance to fields, 

 so do not allow a fence to be opened for passage into fields or 

 pasture unless it can not be avoided. I plant about one hun- 

 dred and twenty acres to corn. I sow no wheat, but put in 

 from fifteen to twenty acres of oats. My oats I sow as early 

 as possible. I endeavor to have part of my corn planted in 

 April. I usually plant one-half of this crop the latter part of 

 April and the other half by the fifteenth of May. I seldom 

 plant later. I plow the ground from three to six inches deep 

 for corn, and roll and harrow the ground thoroughly before 

 planting. As soon as the corn is up I roll and harrow it again. 

 I plow the corn three times, with care, but not oftener than 

 once in two weeks. Should I discover any bad weeds, after 

 harvest I go through the corn with hoes and cut them down. 



EARLY SEEDING. 



My experience for the past twenty-five years in regard to 

 early sowing or planting is decidedly in favor of early seeding 

 fol* Spring wheat or oats. I commence as soon as the ground 

 is sufficiently free from frost to admit of cultivation, never 

 waiting long after the frost is out for the soil to dry. The soil 

 is not injured by plowing when wet, if it is plowed early, 

 especially if there should be some freezing after, although the 

 freezing will kill some of the weakly grains and makes the crop 

 somewhat thinner. I will obtain a heavier, better quality of 

 grain by this plan of early sowing. I plow from two to four 

 inches deep, and sow from one and three-quarters to two 

 bushels of wheat per acre, and from two and a half to three 

 bushels of oats. I sow broadcast, harrow and cross harrow, 

 and roll. The amount of seed to sow profitably per acre must 

 be determined by the quality of the soil. If the soil is a dark, 

 rich loam, more seed can be sown with profit than when the 

 soil is lighter and thinner. I prefer plowing in the Fall for all 

 field crops. 



My corn crop for the past ten years has yielded over fifty 

 bushels per acre. My oat crop averages about thirty-five 

 bushels per acre. I have not sown Spring wheat within the 



