THE GENESEE FARMER. 



141 



mer use, to be planted so late that the tops will be a 

 little greeu when frost comes. As a precaution 

 against rot, I should, in theory, thoroughly ripen the 

 seed. 1 have not experimented in that particular. 



Varikties. — The Neshannock is ear;y and pro- 

 ductive, and, when raised on new ground, is of good 

 quality, but is, both in growth and keeping, and in 

 every way, a tender potato. The white fleshed Pink 

 Eye is a late and excellent-keeping potato, but grows 

 scattering in the ground, making laborious digging, 

 and is usually small; but in grounds highly manured 

 two or three years previously, and planted with pieces 

 of from one to three eyes in a hill, if well cultivated, 

 produces a good crop of good sised potatoes, of the 

 very best quality. It will bear as rich a soil as In- 

 dian corn. It is in every particular a hardy potato, 

 and will bear more plowing, more manure, more 

 drouth, more wet, more heat, and more cold, than 

 any other kind, and is always of good quality. 

 These two are the leading varieties here. Neshan- 

 noeks are most popular in the market. 



I have done best with seed ends of large potatoes 

 cut into pieces ot two or three eyes, and dried a lit- 

 tJe before planting. Dig with a bright steel hoe. 



Muscatine, Iowa. David Pukinton. 



MANAGEMENT OF A PEAIEIE FARM. 



The first operation in making a prairie farm is to 

 turn the sod over, which should be done from the 

 first of May to the first of August, or while the grass 

 h growing and fall of juice — the green grass causing 

 the sod to rot and be in good condition for crops the 

 next spring. If it is broken earlier, it does not rot 

 as well, and the j;rass and weeds grov/ up and make 

 the land foul; if broken later, it does not rot so as to 

 produce a good crop the next season. The sod is 

 sometimes turned over in the spring and immediately 

 planted to corn, which sometimes produces fifteen or 

 twenty bushels per acre, but freq ".ently fails to pro- 

 duce anything. There is a field of thirty acres in 

 this vicinity that did not produce half as many bush- 

 els. From two to seven yoke of oxen are generally 

 used in breaking, but sometimes two, three or four 

 horses are used. 



The plows used in breaking turn from ten to 

 tiiirty inches wide, and are made of steel ; the share 

 and cutter are kept sharp, by filing and hammering. 

 In breaking, thin furrows turned up rough are gen- 

 erally preferred, as they harrow up mellower than 

 thick, flat furrows. The proper way is to turn the 

 furrows medium depth, and not very smooth. Par- 

 ticular care should be taken to cut and turn over all 

 the sod. 



After the ground is broken, it is better to let cat- 

 tle run on it at pleasure, as they feed down all grass 

 and weeds, and tread the surface down, which has a 

 good effect on the crop. Our soil, instead of being 

 too hard and heavy, is too mellow and light ; conse- 

 quently, packing the surface makes it produce better 

 crops. 



The ground that is broken one summer should be 

 Bown as early as possible next spring. Where old 

 ground is sown to small grain, it should be plowed 

 the previous summer or fall; the best way is to plow 

 it immediat«,'ly after the erop is off, so that what 

 grain is scattered will come up and make excellent 

 pastuie. The ground should be thoroughly rolled 

 after the grain is sown. The roller Bhoukl also be 



used on com ground after the corn is planted, as it 

 leaves thj ground smooth and maslies all the lumps, 

 so that the cultivator can be used in the corn when 

 it is quite small, and before the weeds get the start 

 of it. The best way to keep our soil rich is the pro- 

 per rotation of crops — corn, wheat, clover, &c. — 

 Every prairie farmer should plant groves of timber 

 around his buildings, for a protection against the 

 cold winds of winter. Cotton wood and locust are 

 well adapted for that purpose ; the former is raised 

 from cuttings, the same as currants, and the latter 

 from seed. Four or five years are sufScient to raise 

 a grove that will be a great protection and ornament 

 to a residence. L. (jbh. 



JYt'ar JFyoming, Jones Co,, Iowa. 



EOREKS-VmE BUG3-SULPHUE ON COEN, &C.! 



Messrs Editors: — My apple and peach trees, es- 

 pecially those growing upon a loose gravelly soil, have 

 been much infested, just at the edge of the ground, 

 with the borer. 1 have tried many experiments to des- 

 troy them; and once I succeeded admirably by the 

 free application of spirits of turpentine to about a 

 dozen fine peach trees; and from actual experience I 

 can recommend it as a certain remedy to kill grubs, 

 only it had this little draw back — it killed the trees. 

 Last year I tried ashes around my peach trees. I re- 

 moved the dirt down to the roots and heaped a quart 

 of unleached ashes around the body of the tree and 

 then drew the earth back again. Thus far I have 

 seen no grubs, and the trees have received no injury 

 from the application. I have used soft soap and 

 Scotch snufi" upon my apple trees, applied from the 

 roots upwards about a foot. If applied two or three 

 times during the summer, no eggs are deposited. — 

 Before taking these precautions I lost many trees, 

 and those that lived made but little growth. 



Vine Bugs. — I preserved my vines last year from 

 the ravages of this little pest by placing little wads 

 of cotton saturated with spirits of turpentine among 

 the vines near the roots, using care not to have them 

 touch the vines. The turpentine should be renewed 

 from time to time. 



Crows. — The time is near at hand to bring out the 

 scare crows, (which never scare any crows.) Three 

 years ago I planted a piece of corn in a small lot 

 bordering on the road, and right opposite my house. 

 I supposed it would be safe, but 1 soon found that 

 the crows were earlier risers than I, for at the earliest 

 dav/n of day they would be iu the field. I put up a 

 frightful image with an old musket resting across a 

 stump. As if to show their contempt, they pulled 

 up the corn under its very muzzle. I then tried twine 

 without success, for they still continued to make their 

 morning visits. I then soaked some corn in water 

 with arsenic, and strewed it about the field, which 

 was soon picked up. The next day there appeared 

 to be quite a disturbance in the camp over among the 

 hemlocks. From the amount of " cawing" and flut- 

 tering among the tree tops, I concluded they were 

 holding a coroner's inquest, or perhaps confabulating 

 as to the safety of pulling up corn. I think it must 

 have been decided to be a safe operation, for they 

 were soon at it again. The result was, by planting 

 over two or three times, 1 got less than half a crop. 

 That trouble is ended now, for I have found a scare 

 crow that is effectual. For the last tv/o years I have 

 applied about a pound of sulphur to the acre, mixed 



