228 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



Aua 



inches, and . the fifth in the centre of the square, 

 all in an upright position, with the eye buds point- 

 ing upwards, and all beneath the surface of the 

 earth at least ©no inch. In the planting there 

 should be much attention paid to the introduction 

 of a sufficient number of the male plants, one hill 

 in two hundred or about five on an acre. They 

 ought to be planted at regular and known intervals, 

 so that in subsequent years they may not become 

 indiscriminately mixed. The first year, planting is 

 usually done with corn, taking care not to encum- 

 ber the hop hil ; the after culture the same as for 

 the accompanying crop of corn. As the corn 

 matures and is fit for cutting up there should be 

 much care taken not to cut the hop vine, which 

 would be very likely to bleed so as to injure the 

 hill. 



In the succeeding month of October, or the first 

 of November, there should be placed over each 

 hill of hops at least one or more good shovels of 

 well rotted manure for winter protection, and to 

 enrich the ground fer the benefit of the plant the 

 succeeding season culture, which requires more 

 care and watchfulness than the first year to secure 

 a good crop of hops. 



As soon as the plants make their appearance 

 above the ground the manure should be carefully 

 spread over the hill. Then the poles are intro- 

 duced, varying from 18 to 20 feet long, with two 

 at each hill, and inserted in the ground in perfectly 

 straight lines upon each row, an incision being 

 made with the hop bar in the ground to a depth 

 required for firmly holding the poles. Then the 

 plowing commences, which is done with one horse, 

 having the plow kept clean, beginning in the centre 

 of the rows, turning the furrow from the hill the 

 first time plowing — subsequent plowings the fur- 

 rows should be turned towards the hill. 



The cultivator is used after each plowing to level 

 and pulverize the earth, which should be kept 

 smooth and level at all times. The process of 

 hoeing the first time is done as near as may be at 

 the same time as the first hoeing of corn. The 

 vine is usually tied up before the second hoeing, 

 or as soon as the vine has grown two or three feet 

 in hight ; they are tied by selecting two of the 

 most even vines for each pole, the strong, rank 

 ones being selected, and subsequently tied until 

 sufficient strength is acquired in the A'ine to force 

 itself up to the summit for the production of its 

 flower. The culture in the meantime is performed 

 with the plow and cultivator and hoe, earthing up 

 the hill a little the second time hoeing, keeping 

 the ground clean and pruning the hills. Never 

 suffer but two vines to grow upon each pole, which 

 are preferable to a greater number. It may be 

 here remarked that hops want richness of soil, 

 which should be kept up in order to be a successful 

 grower. • Leached ashes is a good substitute for 

 potash, applied to the hill after the first hoeing. 

 When it is found to be important to use lime, it 

 should be well slaked, half a shovel thinly applied 

 to a hill in the month of October or the first of 

 November. When lime is used, much should be 

 applied to the hill, in the place cf manure, for 

 winter protection. Salt has also been found to be 

 a good fertilizer when the vine is disinclined to 

 run the pole ; by making a brine and applying it 

 in small quantity to the hill, it acts like a charm 

 in facilitating the vine in running the pole. I 

 have practically used them all, and found the pro- 

 ductions good. 



Picking usually commences about the first of 

 September; as the flower becomes hard, with a 

 bright yellow color on opening it, the envelope of 

 the seeds a purple color, and the kernel or seed 

 itself hard, they are ready for the harvest. Pick- 

 ing is mostly performed by women with aid of 

 men's help to extract the poles from the ground, 

 severing the vine some three feet above the ground, 

 and placing them upon a frame over a box, which 

 is subdivided into four apartments, and accommo- 

 date as many pickers, with each a box three feet 

 long, two feet deep, and eighteen inches wide, each 

 picker filling the box two or three times during the 

 day, for which they receive from twenty to twenty- 

 five cents per box. 



Drying. — The kiln for the operation of drying 

 should be constructed with much care, with stoves, 

 and arranged in the room, and the hops spread 

 upon a cloth floor above resting upon slats, where 

 they dry in about twelve or fourteen hours. Hops 

 in the green state, if left standing long after picked, 

 are liable to become heated and change color, 

 hence the kiln should be made sufficiently large 

 for curing as fiist as picked, at intervals of twelve 

 to fourteen hours for each kiln. 



-•••- 



Burson's Grain Binder. 



We had the pleasure of witnessing the operation 

 of this important labor saving implement upon the 

 farm of Michael Phelps, Esq., near this place. — 

 Arriving on the ground, we found a large crowd of 

 our citizens and farmers watching the operation 

 with intense interest, all seeming pleased, satisfied 

 and delighted. We would not attempt to describe 

 this unique machine which most of our readers 

 will have an opportunity ef examining while at 

 work in the harvest field. The Binder is placed 

 upon a small extension of the Reaper platform, has 

 no connection with the gearing of the Reaper but 

 is worked by hand. But three motions are requir- 

 ed to bind a sheaf — to raise the handle or lever 

 when the gavel is brought up by the Forker to 

 push down the same handle which puts the band 

 around the sheaf, when one turn of the crank fas- 

 tens the band around the sheaf, cuts it off, and 

 leaves one end of the wire fastened ready for the 

 next sheaf The grain is shoved to the Binder 

 with an ingenious Clasping Fork with which the 

 Forker puts the grain into the Binder in good order, 

 and we are told by those using the machine that 

 this Fork is considered almost indispensible in get- 

 ting the grain to the Binder in shape for binding. 

 However this may be, one thing is certain, that 

 with this Fork the grain is delivered to the binder 

 in neat gavels without difficulty. The following 

 conclusions were unaninous among the crowd in 

 attendance ; 



1. That the Binder, will work fast enough, at 

 least it luoked like play .binding a six feet swath. 



2. That the grain can be saved much cleaner 

 than in hand binding. 



3. That it is not hard work to use the Binder ; 

 all that we conversed with saying they would much 

 rather work it than by hand. 



4. That it does not add much to the draft of 

 the Reaper. Mr. I'helps was working it on a six 

 feet J. H. Manny with two horses, without fatigue. 



The Binder is manufactured by Emerson & Co., 

 of Rockford, Ills., favorably known throughout 

 the West in connection with the J. H. Manny 



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