Proceedixgs of the Farmers' Club. 267 



they may not get things right the first time. It is the making of 

 boys to have them lead out in these independent ways ; for not only 

 will they be self-reliant and abundantly able to take care of themselves, 

 but they will richly earn good victuals and clothes. 



John M. Martin, of Minonk, Woodford county, III, writas sensibly 

 of 



Plowestg on Flat Lands. 



The rainy weather of the last few weeks makes all who are 

 interested in the growing crops feel deeply the need of some way to 

 carry off the surplus amount of water with which the ground is 

 covered. Our land must be drained. But how? It takes long to 

 underdrain and our crops must be growing. It is my experience 

 that much can be effected by plowing properly. Out in tlie west it 

 is the common practice of many farmers to plow around and around 

 a field till it is finished. This is wrong, for when this is done year 

 after year, makes the center lower than the outer edges, and thus a 

 sort of basin is formed which will hold the water. Before starting to 

 plow, a man should examine his ground, and find which way the 

 water drains naturally, and then plow accordingly. Plow in narrow 

 lands thowing out deep middle furrows which will act as ditches. 

 Never plow across the end of lands, but let the furrows extend the 

 whole length. This mode of plowing I have adopted from experience, 

 and I believe nearly double the amount of grain M'ould be raised in 

 Illinois if farmers were to plow in this manner, and attend to plowing 

 deep. Land plowed in this manner is fit to be worked a week sooner 

 than that plowed in the old way. 



John ^V. Chambers submitted the following report of the 



Flol'k Seed DisTRrBuxiox. 

 The Secretary of the Farmers' Club reports that since the 15th day 

 of November he has received 15,328 applications for seeds : these were 

 from nearly every State in the Union ; and that he has sent out by 

 mail over 90,000 papers of seeds. The labor of putting up the seed 

 has been immense. An assistant has been engaged over three months 

 at this business. The club is indebted for these seeds to a great 

 many persons who wished to aid this cause. Among the principal 

 he would mention Mr. AYm. R. Prince, of Flushing, L. L, Avho 

 furnished more than twenty-seven varieties ; the Rev. Samuel Gris- 

 wold, Saybrook, Connecticut, sent 5,000 packages ; Edward Gillett, 

 Southwick, Maine ; G. F. Edred, Pennsylvania ; Lewis Brey, Indiana i 



