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The 



7)i 



fAEMER 



VOL. vnL 



SPRINGFIELD, ILL., MAY, 1863. 



NO. 6. 



May. 



April, witli its weeping skies and 

 muddy furrows is passed, and May — ■ 

 bright, beautiful May — ^with her train 

 of vernal flora, is here to greet us. The 

 fields are again rich with green, and 

 the broad acres of the spring sown 

 grain gladden the eye of the farmer ; 

 and now the planting of corn is the or- 

 der of the day — ^the great staple crop 

 of Central Illinois, is to receive our es- 

 pecial attention. 



"We have often urged the necessity 

 of planting immediately after the plow, 

 in rows one way, and to roll the ground. 

 "With the use of the two-horse cultiva- 

 tor check rowing is of no use. If the 

 planting follows the plowing, the part 

 first planted will be ready to work 

 when the last is planted, and no time is 

 lost waiting for the com to come up, 

 and the weeds to become established. 

 When no roller is used, a two horse 

 harrow can be us^ to good advantage, 

 passing it over the entire field, as the 

 corn is coming up, and until two inches 

 high. This will do a smaU part of the 

 work that the roUer would have done. 



Potatoes that were not planted the 

 last of April should be put in at once. 



Look qver your garden and see that 

 you have it in good order, and plenty 

 of leed sown. 



Set out cabbage for winter use; it is 

 a great mistake to plant the winter cab- 

 bage late in the season for fear the 



head will burst. When they show a 

 tendency this way,loosening the roots a 

 little by partially raising the plant and ! 

 then pressing the plant back will check V 

 all this, and the cabbage will mature -;* 

 all the better. We dislike late cab-' ^ 

 bage. 



Thousands of acres of Sorghum and 

 Imphee wiU be planted this month, v 

 The ground should be warm and in 

 fine tilthe. To make it so, roll afber 

 plowing, and foUow with the harrow; ; 

 the roller will crush the lumps', and the 

 harrow will open the soil to the sun 

 and air. Twelve to fourteen plants in' 

 a hill is about right and will prevent « 

 suckering. The Cliinese cane is best 

 for syrup, and the Oomsee-a-no, or as 

 it is often called the Otaheite for sugar. 

 The cane seed sent us by Mr. Ilufiman. 

 is doubtless valuable for sugar, the fla- 

 vor of the syrup being the same as the 

 Otahiete. * . ' ■ y 



Flax can be sown on sward broken 

 up the first half of this month, for seed 

 only. 



Look well to your drainage ; heavy 

 rains occur this month, and where wa- 

 ter stands for a few hours the crop will 

 be milled. The dead fiirrows should .^ 

 be opened with a spade where it is nol -'"^-^ 

 well done with the plow. The daj - '- 

 for a more thorough system of drainage i ; ; 

 is at hand, but we must wait the ani 

 of the war for the necessary labor. ! 



The white willow cuttings set last .. 



