p^ 



1862. 



THE ILLmOlS FAHMEE 



119 



]From the- Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] 



Bad Advice About Seeding. 



A correspondent of the- New England Far- 

 mer says that a farmer of Canterbury, New 

 Hampshire told him some facts which had led 

 him to think that he had been seeding his 

 land too much, especially, as it was very strong. 

 In laying down nine acres to grass in the spring, 

 he sowed oafs, at the rate of a half bushel to the 

 acre. The result was five hundred bushels of 

 oats from nine acres. Also his wheat, when 

 sown thin, filled better, and yielded rcore. 



Messrs. Editoks — So far from subscribing to 

 the foregoing which appeared in your paper of 

 the 27th of February, I have seen for some years 

 increasing the quantity of seed oats, and now 

 never sow less than three bushels and generally 

 four. If the land is very rich, moist and abound- 

 ing in vegetation mould, I sow still more. 



Formerly when I sowed two bushels to the 

 acre I was glad to obtain a yield of thirty or forty 

 bushels, and frequently got less — the straw full 

 of weeds and badly lodged. Now I get without 

 diflBiculty from fifiy to seventy bushels ; am never 

 troubled with weeds and seldom have it lodge. 



This sowing of half a bushel of seed to the 

 acre may do down in "Canterbury," but no 

 where this side of there I fancy. 



Fearing that silence might be construed into 

 an approval by the whole agricultural world of 

 what I consider so great and dangerous a heresy, 

 I wish to place on record my protesi. 



In England, I belieVe the usual quantity sown 

 is from four to six bushels — but in this country 

 from three to four is probably sufficient. My 

 observation ^nd experience teach me that the 

 quantity of grain and grass seed sown is gen- 

 erally too little — seldom too much. 



I. D. G. NELSON. 



Elm Park, near Fort Wayne, Ind. 



-<m»- 



From the Chicago Farmer's Advocate. 



Sprouting Bed Cedar Seed. 



A correspondent asks " how to sprout red 

 cedar seed." There are several methods. One 

 is to place the seed with sand soil in boxes, thus 

 keeping them for a year and then planting in 

 nursery rows. The resinous case that envelopes 

 the eeed is acted upon quite slowly by moisture 

 and warmth, and the seed itself is coated by a 

 fllinty shell. They have been sproutel the first 

 spring by br lising and mixing with ashes, in 

 which they remain about six weeks and are then 

 planted. It is difficult to sprout them, but even 

 more so to raise the first and second years on the 

 prairies, so subject are we to drouths. Yet with 

 care it can be done. A mixture of one-fourth 

 sand with the soil, and mulching are necessary. 

 As a general thing — except in the way of exper- 

 iment when one has seed of his own — it is best 

 to get evergreens of nurserymen, from nine 

 inches to two feet high. 



The Norway Spruce, if not the mosthandsome, 

 the hardiest of evergreens can be obtained from 

 nine to fourteen inches at the rate of forty dol- 

 lars per thousand. To one who understands the 



nature of evergreens there is little danger of 

 losss. Put in nursery rows, and well tended 

 two years they will be ready for planting in their 

 permanent places. Evergreers are transplanted 

 in the nursery with as much confidence of their 

 living as deciduous trees. The great secret is in 

 preventing the roots from drying. The roots of 

 an evergreen exposed one hour to the wind and 

 sun will kill it. Prevent that, and there is no 

 danger. I trust the people will inform them- 

 selves more of the nature ard method of rearing 

 evergreens, for next to the osage orange, they 

 are of most importance to the prairie farmer. 



H B. Rankin. 

 Prairie Home, III, March 18, 1862. 



Strawberries. 



The strawberry patches that have been cov- 

 ered during the past winter, should now have 

 the covering raked oflf. Those treated in this 

 manner will look nearly as green and fresh as 

 when covered last fall, and will wjgU repay the 

 extra trouble and expense of covering in the 

 improved quality, as well as quantity, of fruit in 

 the season. 



PREPARATION OF GROTJKD FOE NEW BEDS. 



This will vary much with the different kinds of 

 soil, as well as somewhat with the latitude. 

 Deep plowing or spading will be first in order 

 under any circumstances. If the soil be light 

 and sandy, the addition of a well decomposed 

 compost of manure and muck, or clay, wi 1 be 

 essential if reasonable crops are desired. If the 

 soil be heavy clay, with a tendency to be acid, a 

 dressing of fresh stable manure, and an applica- 

 tion cf lime, will often prove beneficial. Most 

 prairie soils need lime. Wood ashes will well 

 repay their api lication on any land that is to be 

 planted with small fruits. 



BEVS. 



The size and shape in which these should be 

 made, will depend on whether the plants are to 

 be kept in stools or allowed to run. Our prefer-" 

 ence is to plant in large beds, leaving a space of 

 two feet between the rows, putting the plants 

 one foot apart in the rows, and keeping the run- 

 ners picked off. This plan gives full opportunity 

 for mulching to protect the fruit from dirt. 

 Finer berries are produced from the fact that 

 each plant has room, light and air. The plants 

 or stools attain a large size, new fruit crowns 

 are developed each year, and the plants last in 

 good bearing condition as long as they are well 

 cared for, and the ground furnishes sufficient 

 nr urishment to produce full crops. The only 

 objection urged against this method, is on the 

 account of the expense of keeping off the run- 

 ners. Yet if the labor of resetting every three 

 years be taken into consideration, and an accu- 

 rate account of all the expenses on the usual 

 system of letting the plants run together in 

 masses, be kept for a series of y« ars, and com- 

 pared with the expense of a similar plot kept in 

 hills, the difference in theii cost will not be as 

 great as might be supposed. If the plants are to 



