84 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 





CULTIVATIOISr OF OKIONS. 



A GOOD crop of Onions may be grown with as 

 much certaioty as corn, if rightly managed, but to 

 do this three things are necessary; first, the ground 

 must be rich, made so by a plentiful Kupply of hog 

 manure; second, the Onion seed must be sown early, 

 say last of March, or first of April; and thirdly, ihey 

 must be hoed often, and kept free from weeds. The 

 seed should be soaked twelve hours in rain water; the 

 water should then be turned off, and the seeds kept 

 moist until they sprout, which will be in two to four 

 daysi, according to the temperature. Tf you wish 

 them to sprout soon, place them on a mantle piece 

 where they will feel the warmth of the fire. In case 

 it should rain, and make your soil so wet that it can 

 not be worked, and the seeds are likely to sprout too 

 much, put them in the cellar or some cool place. In 

 this way you can manage to have them sprouted just 

 as you may require. Next prepare your ground by 

 plowing, harrowing and rolling, until it is very fine 

 and clear of lumps. Then lay off your beds three 

 feet wide, raised slightly in the middle; mark the 

 rows across the beds with a rake having teeth twelve 

 inches apart for the purpose. The seed should then 

 be sown with the thumb and finger, and covered with 

 the hand. Nothing now remains to insure a good 

 crop, but sunshine and showers, and diligent culture, 

 keeping them clean of weeds, and stirring the ground 

 often with the hoe. Horatio Martin. 



Greenhush, Iowa. * 



ON THE MANAGEMENT OF A PEAIRIE FAEM. 



In compliance with a request, in the January 

 number of the Farmer, I will endeavor to give you 

 my modus operandi, with five years experience in the 

 State of Illinois, in the management of a prairie 

 farm. 



Buildings and Fences — Taking it in the natural 

 state, the first thing after purchasing, is building a 

 house, and other necessary out buildings, the details 

 of which the circumstances and taste of the owner, 

 himself, will suggest. The next thing to be taken into 

 consideration, is fencing. As timber is scarce and 

 difficult to be procured, the most economical mode is 

 to get good White Oak, or Walnut posts, and set 

 upon the boundary line of the farm, according to the 

 length of the boards; supposing them to be Pine, 

 expressly for this purpose, fourteen and sixteen feet is 

 the most desirable length, putting two posts to the 

 panel, and as hogs are not suffered to run at large, 

 three boards, six inches wide, nailed to the posts, will 

 turn all stock; even two boards will ansvier a good 

 purpose. The fence should be set outside of the line 

 five or six feet, so as to leave room t'^ set a hedge in 

 the line, the following spring, after breaking. 



Breaking — The best method of breaking prairie 

 sod, is to get three yoke of cattle, and with a sixteen 

 or eighteen inch plow, one man and team will break 

 from two to two-and-a-half acres per day, which, if 

 hired done, will cost, at the present prices of breaking, 

 two dollars and fiity cents per acre, and board for 

 hand and team. The plow should not go deeper than 

 two or three inches, as the shallower the furrow the 

 sooner the sod will rot. While breaking is going on 

 a boy should follow the plow, and, in every third 

 furrow, drop three to Pve grains of corn, which 

 without any further attention, if it should be a good 



growing season, will make a fair crop of corn. WheB 

 breaking is done, the cattle will do to fat the coming 

 winter. 



Fall Crop — In the fall, a portion of the newFy 

 broken land should be sown, with good clean winter 

 wheat. The best way of pieparing the ground for 

 this crep, is to take a common scouring plow and ruti 

 lengthwise with the furrows, a little deeper than 

 broken the f5rst time. 



Orchards, kc. — Arrangements should be made 

 for setting out an orchard the following spring, and 

 for planting hedges, groves, &c. As soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground, in the spring, an orchard should 

 be plantei^ with fruit trees, of the best varieties tt>. 

 be obtained, and suitable shade trees ought to be 

 planted about the house. 



Hedges — The next operation demandingimmediate 

 attention is setting out hedge, for a living fence; tb'e 

 ground where the hedge is to grow should be well 

 worked, the fall previous, by plowing a ridge four feet 

 wide; in the spring, say the month of April, take the 

 center of the ridge, for the line of the hedge, and 

 with a team of horses, run a straight furrow, six or 

 eight inches deep. I would recommend the Osage 

 Orange, as it is hardier, and will make a fence quicker 

 than the Thorn. The plants can be purchased in this 

 vicinity for two and-a-half dollars per thousand. Set 

 the plants up against the landside of the furrow that 

 has been made, and as the roots are straight, they 

 may be pressed a little deeper down; then, with a 

 hoe, draw the dirt up to them, packing them with 

 the foot. There are differences of opinion about the 

 distance plants should be set; my distance is ten 

 inches apart, or twenty plants to the rod — this, I 

 think, is plenty close enough; if properly treated they 

 will make a tight wall, and a barrier against all stocky 

 hogs included, but the latter should not be turned 

 into the field without ringing. 



Groves — Planting groves has been too mucb 

 neglected, by the farmers of Illinois; there is nothing 

 so much adorns a prairie farm as a good locust grov^ 

 and no time should be lost in commencing it; in ten 

 or twelve years from the seed, it will furnish material 

 for fencing and building, which will always be 

 required on the farm. 



Vegetable Gaedex— By no means neglect fencing 

 a suitable piece of ground for a garden, at least half 

 an acre; a whole acre would be none to much. My 

 motto is, more vegetables, and less hog and homing 



Second Year. — Spring Crops. — Now comes the 

 ;^ar for the first full crop of all kinds of grain. — 

 What land is not wanted for corn, this season, should 

 be well prepared for spring wheat and oats, by being 

 well plowed before sowing, if not plowed in the fall 

 previous; by fall plowing there is the advantage of 

 sowing a little earlier, which is always desirable. 



Stock, Sheds, <to. — The next thing is the maa- 

 agementof stock; when you have prairie range, your 

 cattle will enjoy the privilege of roaming over them^ 

 but if not, of course suitable fields must be provided. 

 In winter provide a good yard, and shelter from wind 

 and storm; the latter are not frequent, notwithstanding 

 cattle should be sheltered; it is too much the 

 prevailing custom, of farmers generally, to let their 

 cattle run at large, over the whole farm, without 

 providing any shelter at all, for which they cannot he 

 too severely censured. They wjio have not the 

 means to erect large ©ommodious sheds, can put up 

 forked sticks, covered with slough grass, to form a 



