PRAIRIE PLANTING. 49 



Cultivation should be commenced shortly after planting- and 

 be repeated often enough to keep the top three inches of soil 

 loose so as to form a dust blanket to- retard evaporation dur- 

 ing dry weather. The soil should never be allowed to become 

 baked hard after a rain, but the crust should be broken up with 

 a horse cultivator as soon after a rain as it can be worked. 

 Cultivation should be discontinued after the first of August in 

 order to encourage early ripening of the wood. The weeds 

 that grow after this time of year will do no harm. 



One of the best tools for early cultivation of small seed- 

 lings is Breed's Weeder, which may be worked both ways and 

 cleans out the weeds to perfection. The ordinary corn culti- 

 vator is also a good implement for this purpose. Later culti- 

 vation, should consist of working the soil with a one-horse 

 cultivator or plow. If the horse implements are properly 

 used there will be no necessity of hand hoeing for the few 

 weeds that grow in the rows of trees will do no injury to them. 

 Some planters sow oats among the young trees for protection 

 when cultivation ceases, but if field mice are abundant it may 

 be best not to do so. Late in autumn of the first year or two 

 after planting some soil should be turned towards the trees 

 with a plow to protect them. 



Thinning. In growing prairie groves we should always 

 aim to have the tops of the trees just touch one another with- 

 out crowding. In order to bring this about the grove must 

 be thinned occasionally, for although the trees would thin 

 themselves if left alone it would be at the expense of growth 

 and perhaps cause serious injury. Trees that are crowded 

 together may suffer more from drouth than those that have 

 plenty of room for their roots. . This is especially true of ten- 

 der trees on dry land. If the trees begin to crowd one another 

 the poorest should be removed, but this should be done care- 

 fully and never to such an extent as to let in the sunlight, 

 which would encourage the growth of grass, weeds and side 

 branches. Thinning may be done at any time, but if the wood 

 taken out is to be used for fence posts or poles it would be 

 better to cut in winter and peel at once to aid it in curing. 



The Proper Location of the Buildings on a Farm is a very im- 

 portant matter and seldom receives the attention which its 

 importance demands. The position of the buildings deter- 



