CHAPTER VII. 

 BREAKING THE VIRGIN PRAIRIE 



"Breaking" is the western term for the first plowing 

 of the native prairie land. It is the first tillage opera- 

 tion undertaken by the settler in order to make the raw 

 prairie sod suitable for the growing of cultivated crops. 

 The breaking is usually followed by more or less tillage 

 the same season and may include a second plowing, 

 which is spoken of as "backsetting". When this second 

 plowing is not given the surface tillage usually consists 

 of packing or "planking", disking and harrowing. If 

 the intention is to backset, the breaking is done shallow, 

 but if not, it is the custom to break more deeply. 



When the breaking is done in the spring, it is some- 

 times sown to grain the same year. In the dry districts 

 this practice frequently results in partial or complete 

 failure but in wet years or in the more humid parts fair 

 yields are sometimes secured. The plan usually follow- 

 ed is to leave the land without a crop until the next 

 season. 



In the early days, when the tillage of prairie sod was 

 not so well understood, new breaking was not expected 

 to give a good crop. Even now new settlers frequently 

 fail to get good returns from their first efforts. There is, 

 however, no good reason why the first crop should not be 

 an excellent one in the average year. 



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