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THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



BAILHACHE & BAKER, PubUshers. 



M. L. DUNIiAP, Editor. 



SPRINGFIEL.D, SEPTE3IBER 1, 18C0. 



When shall we Break Prairie? 



We answer, at any time when the frost 

 IS out of the ground. "Ah ! but that 

 won't do." Well it will do every time 

 if you will use the right kind of a plow, 

 in the right way. 



From the time that the grass makes a 

 vigorous growth and while it continues 

 to grow, prairie can be the most cheap- 

 ly broken up with a good sixteen inch 

 prairie breaker, but should not be cut 

 more than three inches deep. At other 

 seasons, or when the grass is in a state 

 of rest use a double Michigan plow ; set 

 the top plow so that it will cut an inch 

 deep and the bottom plow two or two 

 and a half inches deeper. 



We have before stated that we sowed 

 spring wheat on seven acres oF prairie 

 broken up the last of February and first 

 of March in the spring of 1859 with the 

 double Michigan and replowed in the 

 Fall and sowed last March. W^e now 

 have the result : twenty-three bushels of 

 first quality Canada Club to the acre. 



Our second son (Oscar) who is our 

 farmer, had never sowed any grain be- 

 fore, and in sowing the first four acres 

 put on less than a bushel to the acre, and 

 in the other three we had him sow one 

 and a half bushels to the acre. It was 

 all sov.-n beautifully oven, and came up 

 well, having been thoroughly put in and 

 rolled. On the three acres it was esti- 

 mated that it turned out over thirty 

 bushels to the acre. It should be borne 

 in mind that on new land, spring wheat 

 requires thick seeding, as it will not 

 tiller out so much as on old land, hence 

 the thinness of the crop on the four 

 acres, which must have been less than 

 twenty bushels per acre. 



Fawkts broke up four acres with his 

 steam plow in November with common 

 breaking plows. Three acres of this Ave 

 sowed at the same time, putting on near- 

 ly two bushels of seed to the acre, and 

 giving it a most thorough harrowing. — 



The result was a spindling growth, 

 not worth cutting, in fact, too thin and 

 light to cut at all. One acre we sowed 

 to the Black Tartarian Oats, a most vig- 

 orous grower, and the result of that was 

 ten bushels of oats. 



We have now plowed up all of this 



stubble land, and find that of the March 

 breaking is in fine order, well rotted and 

 friable, that done with the common 

 breaking plow is but little rotted, full of 

 grass and weeds, and required a break- 

 ing plow to turn it over, whereas the 

 other was replowed the first time with a 

 common plow without the use of a coulter. 



And tlie difference is easily explained: 

 when the grass is growing by turning it 

 over, the tin-f or roots are wilted, not so 

 when in a state of rest, but in plowing 

 Avith the double Michigan plow, the turf 

 is cut thin and rolled up like a scroll so 

 that the frost and winds of winter and of 

 spring will dry out and kill the roots, but 

 when turned over with a common plow as 

 in the caseof the steam plow,the turf rests 

 on the ground, aud keeps the reversed 

 turf from dying out and the roots are 

 preserved in all their vitality, and ready 

 to grow on the approach of warm weather. 



From our experience we would rather 

 have prairie broken with the double 

 Michigan plow in November or March, 

 than with the common plow in June. — 

 And we are now prepared to recommend 

 Fall and Spring breaking; but we want 

 it distinctly understood that in no case 

 is the breaking to he over three or four 

 deep inches at most. Because the Double 

 Michigan plow was intended for a deep 

 tiller, it docs not follow that it cannot be 

 Ui^od as wo have described for a very 

 difi'ercnt purpose than its inventor intend- 

 ad. AVo hope our readers understand 

 the modus operandi^ at this time, for in 

 our former remarks on this subject many 

 persons appeared to have the impression 

 that the value of early breaking was in 

 deep plowing, which is tho very reverse. 

 As a deep tiller we have no exalted 

 opinion of it, and never u.^e it for that 

 purpose, preferin^ to use two plows and 

 two seperate teams. The No. 1 plow of 

 Messrs. Dreer & Co. is too heavy for 

 our purpose, and we prefer the No. 2, 

 which is much lighter, aud sufficiently 

 strong for breaking. At the season for 

 early and late breaking tho land is usu- 

 ally wet and the work is done much ea- 

 sier for the team. We care not how wet 

 even if the water follows in the new 

 cut furrow — the subsequent fiost will 

 make it all right. We have been asked if 

 this early breaking will answer for the 

 small grain sown in spring soon after 

 breaking. If done in November we 

 think a fine crop of oats could bo grown, 

 but the chances for spring wheat would 

 be rather uncertain. The great advan- 

 tage of this new order of breakinnj is to 

 do it at a season of comparative leisure, 

 and when the weather is cool and the 

 team capable of doing a large day's 

 Avorl", certainly better than in tho heat 

 of July under a glowing sun. We hope 

 our readers will give the subject their 

 earnest attention, and prove its truth or 

 falsity. 



The Black I'ap Ra.siikrry. 

 It is our intention to persevere in 

 calling the attention of the readers of 

 the Farmer to the subject of the small 

 fruits, until they shall appreciate their 

 value, whether it requires two months or 

 two years. With the material at hand, 

 and at most costing but a trifle, any 

 farmer can grow an abundant supply of 

 these invaluable prypholactics of health. 

 Among the small fruits the raspberry 

 claims no mean place, but it has to a 

 great extent been neglected, and our 

 farmers have been content with the few 

 Black Caps that the birds have left 

 along the fence and forest borders. 

 Whenever these Black Caps have been 

 transferred to the garden they have im- 

 proved in quantity and quality of fruit, 



and nurserymen are now selling them as 

 the improved Black Cap, but alloAv us to 

 assure you that just as good plants can 

 be found in every patch of Avoodland 

 from Cairo to the Lakes. 



THEIR CULTURE. 



The ground should be trench plowed, 

 and sub.->oiled if po.ssiblo, and laid off in 

 squares five feet each way, this will re- 

 quire 1,742 plants to the acre. Now it 

 Avill be seen that to prepare and set an 

 acre of the plants is no very great task, 

 but the second year these plants Avill re- 

 quire 1,7-1:2 stakes five feet long, made 

 of good burr oak and sharpened so that 

 they can be driven into the hills, to 

 which the plants are to be tied. In set- 

 ting out cut the plants back to Avifhin 

 six inches of the g;ound, of course you 

 are to have no fruit the first year. AVork 

 the ground Avell both Avays and keep 

 down all Aveeds. Should you Avisli to 

 grow any plants for new plantations or 

 sale, you Avill go through Avich a small 

 ploAV in September and thrOAv the earth 

 on the tops of the shoots that Avill at 

 this time be trailing on the ground and 

 they will take root; ior, be it remem- 

 bered, that this plant is propagated 

 by the tops taking roots and not 

 from suckers, Avhich, by the way is a 

 valuable trait in its character. We have 

 noAv dune Avith them for the first season 

 and they go into Avinter quarters Avithout 

 any protection. In March the stakes 

 are driven fi/mly into the hills, all of 

 the side shoots are pruned off" and the 

 tops cut back even Aviih the tops of the 

 stakes ; leave but four canes to a hill and 

 cut out all others ; tie them to the stakes 

 in three places Avith bass matting or Avil- 

 loAv bands ; cultivate the land both ways. 

 The canes will send out fruit spurs a 

 foot to eighteen inches, forming a circle, 

 whose diameter will be two to three feet 

 and loaded with fruit ; abundant space 

 will be left to cultivate the ground with 



