THE GENESEE FARMER. 



117 



DEEP PLOWING INJURIOUS ON PRAIRIE SOILS. 



Ed6. Genesee Faemkr: — Farming has been my 

 only business for tlie last twenty years, and the 

 longer I follow the i)]o\v the, more I am convinced 

 of my ignorance of the reasons of such slight 

 mistakes which we often make and which prove so 

 <lisastr(.>us to our prospenty. For instance, a few 

 ; days too early or too late in sowing wheat will prove 

 to be almost as many hundred dollars damage to the 

 crop. Also, in rotation of crops, how little do we 

 know of this important part of our work. 



In regard to the cultivation of corn, I wish to 

 draw your attention to a few facts which have come 

 to my knowledge within a few years. (And this 

 brings up the question which was asked in the 

 November number, 1859: "lIowDeep should we 

 Plow?" I hope tliat all of your numerous readers 

 who have tried ditferent ways, and can throw any 

 light upon the subject, and especially those of the 

 West, will contribute sometliing on it. I see the 

 result, to my disappointment, but the why or 

 wherefore I can not tell.) 



The facts are these: Some seven years ago, a 

 six acre field was plowed very deep for this country, 

 say twelve inches, — about twice as deep as the 

 common practice. It was sown with wheat the 

 tirst year, and the second and third years planted 

 in corn, continuing to plow nearly as deep in the 

 ^[iriug of each year. The ground was so light and 

 luose that the corn all fell down before the ears 

 grew of any size ; therefore the crop was almost a 

 failure both seasons, while other fields near by, 

 cultivated no better, i)roduced double the crop. 

 Another instance — a ten acre field cultivated in 

 wheat four seasons in succession, and plowed twice 

 every year, and no weeds allowed to get ripe; 

 planted in corn the next three seasons, plowed very 

 <k-ep eacli year, — about twelve inches — and kept 

 clean from weeds. The first two seasons jirodu^-ed 

 very fine crops, equal to any in the vicinity; third 

 year, tlie corn giew as usual very fine, stood u|) 

 ^very straight till the middle of July, and then fell 

 'down belore the ears matured, so that many of 

 them were not more than three or four inches long; 

 and did not produce halt as much as that on the 

 other side of the fence, which has never been 

 plowed more than six inches deep, allowed to grow 

 u|) to weeds some years, and, as we say sometimes, 

 '•half cultivated." 



I never saw land in better condition to grow gar- 

 den seeds than was this ten acre field last spring, 

 and it remained so during the summer. As far 

 as the eye could detect, nothing could hinder it 

 from producing a fine crop. The stalks fell down 

 in every direction. It was not the wind that 

 caused them to fall ; it was no chintz bug, which 

 sometimes does damage to crops, and no other 

 insect that could be seen. The roots did not take 

 hold ot the ground sutficiently to hold the stalks 

 up. In the fall, a man could pull up a stalk with 

 his thumb and finger, and sometimes a whole hill 

 at a time. 



My attention has been directed to this subject 

 more this season than ever before, and I find that 

 farmers who have never used three horses abreast 

 in plowing for corn, and have not plowed more 

 j than six inches deep, have invariably had good 

 ! standing corn, while those who have plowed deep 

 for years have suffered from falling crops. And 



now, as this subject of deep plowing is in every- 

 body's mouth and in all agricultural papers, and 

 although I am a firm believer in it myself, if man- 

 aged in a more economical and scientific (I don't 

 like that word exactly, and will say more sensible) 

 manner, I want for the sake of argument to take 

 the negative side of the subject, and will some time 

 say more about it. saml. b. turnee. 



Quincy, HI., February, 1S60. 



FEEDING BEES IN SPRING. 



Eds. Genesee FaIjmee: — Feeding bees in spring 

 is sometimes absolutely necessary, but to make ar- 

 rangements, expecting to do so, when selecting 

 stocks in the fall, is of doubtful economy. Such 

 hives as are too poorly supplied with honey, should 

 be either fed in the fall or taken up. But as some 

 stocks are either robbed, or from some other cause 

 consume more honey than we expect, a little 

 trouble in feeding now may save a loss. In doing 

 so, considerable care is requisite, and but few know 

 how to manage it properly. Honey fed to bees, is 

 almost certain to excite quarrels among them. 

 Strong colonies will often carry otf the honey given 

 to the weak ones as fast as it is supplied. 



It is possible that feeding a stock of bees in 

 spring may cause them to starve; whereas, if let 

 aione, they might escape. Although this looks 

 paradoxical, I think it may be made to appear 

 reasonable. Whenever the supply of old honey is 

 short, probably not more than one egg in twenty 

 which the queen deposits, will be matured — their 

 means not allowing the young brood all to be fed. 

 This appears from the fact that several eggs, under 

 some circumstances, may be found in one cell, 

 where it is impossible for more than one to mature. 

 Now suppose you give such a stock several pounds 

 of honey, at a time when the flowers yield none, or 

 but very little, and they are encouraged to feed a 

 large brood, and then your. supply fails before they 

 are half-grown, what are the bees to do ? Destroy 

 the brood, and lose all they have fed to them, or 

 draw on their last year's store for a quantity to 

 help them in this emergency, and trust to chance 

 for themselves ? The latter alternative will proba- 

 bly be adopted, and then, without a timely inter- 

 vention of favorable weather to bring out the 

 secretions of honey in the flowers, the bees must 

 starve. The same effect is sometimes produced by 

 the changes of the weather: a week or two of fine 

 weather may bring out the flowers in abundance — 

 a sudden change, perhaps a frost, may destroy all 

 for a few days. This makes considerable vigilance 

 necessary, as these turns of cold weather, when 

 they occur, make it unsafe to neglect them till 

 white clover appears, which, in some seasons, is as 

 late as the middle of June. But, if the spring is 

 favorable, there is but little danger, unless they 

 are robbed. 



If the necessary care about worms is taken, it 

 will tell which hives are light — merely raising one 

 edge to destroy the moth-worms, tells you some- 

 thing about the honey on hand. To be very exact, 

 the hive should be weighed when ready for the 

 bees, and the weight marked on it. By weighing 

 at any time afterwards, tells at once, within a 

 trifle, what honey there is on hand. Some allow- 

 ance must be made for the age of the combs, the 

 quantity of bread, etc. It is hardly worth while 



