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THE ILLINOIS FA.RMER. 



371 



with minute sparkles in the sunlight. 

 Unsound seed is e.isily detected by the 

 dull, lifeless appearance of the gem. — 

 The usual method of preparing the seed 

 for vesetatlno; is to soak it in warm wat- 

 er, and expose it to hard freezing a few 

 times, after which, it must be kept moist 

 and cool till the time of planting arrives. 

 Another and a more effectual way is to 

 soak the seed in running water, or in a 

 pond or body of water some three or four 

 weeks previous to p'anting, Avhen it may 

 be taken out and dried sufficient for dril- 

 ling, and planted at once. 



HEED PLANTING AND CULTIVATION OF THE PLANTS. 



The ground for the seed bed should 

 be rich and well handled. New ground 

 on which one crop of wheat lias been 

 raised may be considered best. If the 

 peed are to be planted by hand, a strong 

 line, a garden rake, a drill rake with two 

 teeth will be needed. The teeth of the 

 latter should be made of steel and pol- 

 ished, about three inches in width, and 

 tapering or rounding at the end. Stretch 

 and set the line, next rake the border 

 smooth and fine, then by drawing the 

 drill rake by the line you make two fur- 

 rows at once, a foot apart, rather wide 

 and shallow, about two inches deep, in 

 which sow the seed regularly, about twen- 

 ty-five seed to the foot. Before the seed 

 has time to dry cover them two inches 

 deep, with fine mellow soil. A space 

 two feet wide should be left between the 

 double rows, and if the ground should 

 be weedy, three feet, to admit a cultiva- 

 tor to pass between them. 



In field culture of plants the seed are 

 put in with a common wheat drill, about 

 a bushel and a pock to the acre. Should 

 beating rains cause the ground to brake 

 before the seed come through it is well 

 to break the crust. Mice, striped squir- 

 rels and other vermin are fond of the 

 seed, and where they abound, they are 

 very troublesome, as they continue to 

 dig it up and devour it, even after the 

 plants are up. Prairie chickens are also 

 very fond of the lobe leaves, which they 

 crop off soon after the plants come up. 

 Sometimes beating rains, with wind, will 

 prostrate the plants while they are small. 

 When that is the case, they should be 

 raised up and slightly braced. In the 

 cultivation it is necessary to keep the 

 groun i loose and free from weeds. This 

 is done chiefly by hoeing and hand-weed- 

 ing. If the plants are too thick in places 

 it is well to thin out the small ones 

 about midsummer, as the most particular 

 point in plant culture is evenness in size 

 — neither too large nor too small. 



TAKING UP AND HANDLING THE PLANTS. 



Plants of the Madura should grow 

 sufficiently large in one season to set in 

 hedges, if everything is favorable. It is 

 generally safer to take up the plants in 

 the fall and secure them for winter. Af- 

 ter the frost has killed the leaves, the 



tops may be mowed cff at a uniform 

 height of about six inches, and the tops 

 raked up and removed. The roots strike 

 down very deep and require to bo cut 

 off some six or eight inches below the 

 surface. This is done with a subsoil 

 cutter — a plow without the mould-board, 

 made for the purpose. It is drawn by 

 a strong team, and may be regulated to 

 any depth. If kept sharp it cuts the 

 roots off smooth and leaves the plants 

 standing in the row, but easy to pull up 

 and sort at the same time. The plants 

 may be tied up in bundles of one or two 

 hundred, with bass bark or tough willow 

 shoots. The roots must not be exposed 

 to the frostj nor long to the drying sun- 

 shine. 



KEEPING THE PLANT-^ THROUGH VTINTKR. 



A sure methoo of keeping the plants 

 in perfect order through the winter is to 

 bury them below the frost, on ground 

 that is rolling enough to drain off the 

 water, which, if permitted to stand about 

 the plants, may cause them to sour and 

 be spoiled. They may also be kept per- 

 fectly sound by packing closely in a 

 good, dry cellar and covering very slight- 

 ly with earth, sawdust or old sacking, 

 to keep the frost out and the moisture 

 in — sprinkle when necessary. It is most 

 important that the plants be kept in per- 

 fect order. If left out through the win- 

 ter they are liable to be injured or 

 spoiled. 



ASSORTING AND PREPARING THE PLANTS. 



The first and most important requisite 

 in hedge culture is the equal and uni- 

 form grotvth of the plants. To insure 

 this it is necessary that they should be 

 assorted into classes, with reference to 

 their size and vigor. This requires the 

 exercise of care and judgment, and it 

 may be done on taking out the plants in 

 early spring., or after the freezing weath- 

 er is over. Keep each class of plants 

 separate, cut off the unsound or bruised 

 ends of the roots to where the bark and 

 wood is fresh and not discolored. Six 

 inches of good sound root is sufficient. 



The next operation is to prepare -i 

 grout or mortar, by mixing equal parts 

 of cow-dung and clay, well beaten to- 

 gether, and made thin enough to admit 

 the roots, into which they are to dipped, 

 a handful at a time, so that all may be 

 well coated with it. Next dig a slop- 

 ing trench, into which place the plants 

 ■Straight, with the roots even and the 

 tops above the surface, sift in fine dirt 

 among the roots, and cover two inches 

 deeper than the top of the roots; tread 

 the ground firm abo t the plants, and 

 if the weather be dry sprinkle them twice 

 a week. In this condition let them re- 

 main a few weeks, or till vegetation com- 

 mences, when they will be ready to set 

 in the hedge row. Plants and trees thus 

 trenched will start earlier than if set at 



once, and if carefully handled will be 

 more certain to grow. 



PKEPARATiON or THE ORnuVD. : 



Clear off a strip ten or twelve feet in 

 width, in the middle of which the hedge 

 row is to be set. Plant a tall stake at 

 each end, and by these range stakes 

 along the line. Plow the strip deep, 

 throwing outward, finishing with a deep, 

 straight furrow, in the line of the stakes. 

 This plowing is better to be done in the 

 fall previous, in order to secure the ad- 

 vantage of amelioration by the action of 

 the frost, but if this has been neglected 

 it should be done as early as possible in 

 the spring. If the land is rolling, with 

 sharp or long slopes, it will be necessary 

 to make bars or dams at short intervals, 

 with side cuts or furrows to turn out 

 the water in case of heavy r^'ns, 

 thus prevent washing in the furrow, 

 this condition the ground may lie 

 near the time for planting. If the ground 

 is cloddy, harrow it lightly, then throw 

 the sides together by '-back furrowing;'' 

 by this means you will form a deep, 

 rich, mellow border, which is very essen- 

 tial. ' When the bed is finished it is to 

 be a few inches higher than the common 

 level, and it should be allowed to settle 

 a few daj^s, otherwise (unless the plants 

 are set very deep) the ground will re- 

 cede from the plants in settling, and show 

 the yellow roots, as in too shallow plant- 



and 

 In 



till 



ing- 



-a fatal error. 



TRANSPLAKTIKfl. 



When the buds have expanded and 

 the leaves are half an inch long, we con- 

 sider the plants in the best condition for 

 settling. It a moist time can be chosen, 

 it is the most favorable. Various meth- 

 ods of planting are practiced, and it 

 matters little by what means or with 

 what implements it is done, so it is well 

 done. The most essential points in 

 hedge setting may be reduced to four, 



viz: To PLANT DEEP, TO PLANT FIRM, 

 TO PLANT CLOSE, AND TO PLANT STRAIGHT. 



The most "scientific" mode of plant- 

 ing is done with a steel transplanting 

 trowel, polished and kept perfectly 

 bright. It is, however, a laborious and 

 careful operation, requiring the border 

 to be well raked, and the operator to 

 work upon his knees, besides there is 

 moredangerof not planting deep enough, 

 if planted in the upright position. We 

 therefore deem it safer to recommend 

 planting with the "hedge spade,*' as it 

 is now more generally used for that pur- 

 pose than any other implement. To be 

 right it should be made with a longer, 

 narrower and more taperiug blade, 

 (which must be well polished,) and rath- 

 er longer handle than the common spade. 

 The stakes having been reset, the hedge 

 line must be well stretched and set in 

 exact range. It should be a li.ht, 

 strong cord, and for convenience, about 

 ten rods long. The line is kept steady 



