212 



THE ILLmOIS FAKMER. 



July 



the grain cannot be formed. As it requires time 

 to disintegrate the potash, any preparation of the 

 soil that does not effect this will prove disastrous 

 to the crop. It is difficult to conceive any condi- 

 tion of our prairie soil, in which more or less of 

 potash at the surface is not in the proper condition 

 for assimilation for the growing plants. In the 

 case of the corn crop the qunntity at the time of 

 planting is abundant for the young plant, but the 

 soil should be frequently stirred so as to give it 

 thorough areation. In this ease the alkali is rap- 

 idly developed, and the result is a large crop. 



With the small grains the case is different ; the 

 surface not being stirred after seeding, the quanti- 

 ty of potash is not increased as in the case of the 

 hoed crops, and hence a different course must be 



pursued. 



In plowing, the soil is inverted and the free pot- 

 ash, that is that portion which has become areated, 

 ready for assimilation with the plants, is buried so 

 deep that it in turn soon becomes fixed and unfit, 

 for the plant, and these mnst await the slow pro- 

 cess of a new supply. Hence we may reason that 

 deep plowing in the early part of the season is not 

 to be recommended ; a fact that is verified in 

 practice. For this reason sub-soiling is more val- 

 uable than trench plowing. The stirring of the 

 soil to a great depth is always advantageous, while 

 the inversion of the surface has a contrary effect. 

 Spading or forking over the soil has the effect to 

 mix its several strata ; and while giving it deep till- 

 age retains the potash in the proper condition for 

 the use of plants. The usual depth of plowing in 

 the spring is four inches. Tiiis depth would not 

 affect the potash, but it is so shallow that the ser. 

 ies of downward roots cannot penetrate the soil so 

 as to secure an abundant supply of moisture. — 

 Nearly all of our grains hsive two series of roots- 

 one set that go down, which might be called tap 

 roots, and the other surface root.*. In Indian 

 corn the later roots start out above the surface at 

 the time of tasseling and spread over the surface at 

 a rapid rate. These roots absorb the potash and 

 which form the outside coating of the stalk, and 

 if the supply is abundant, the crop makes rapid 

 progress, and the ears fill out in the same ratio. 



Here we have a solution of the value of the sum- 

 mer fallow. All hoed crops are in fact a summer 

 fallow to the laud, so far as regards areation and 

 the disintegration of the mineral elements of the 

 soil. The rains that carry the ammonia to the roots 

 of plants, has free passage through its finely com- 

 minutad surface, and are retained for present and 

 future use. The fact is that in most cases a surplus 

 of material for plant structure is laid up during 

 the summer fallow of the hoed crops, which makes 



such land so desirable for the small grains. Spring 

 wheat and barley have long been favorite crops on 

 aueh land. Oats, requiring less potash, are liable 

 to grow too rank, and hence are found more safe to 

 follow the two former. It will thus be seen that 

 spading will have an advantage over plowing in 

 many cases, giving deep culture without disturbing 

 the surface or areated soil so wisely prepared by 

 Nature for the seed bed. 



For the turning under of gi-een crops, of rubbish 

 and of sward land, the plow gives promise of long 

 continued usefulness, while for old land in good 

 condition the spader must come rapidly into uso 

 In another place we have shown that it reduces 

 the cost of plowing one-half, a very important item, 

 and one that carries great weight in a direct appeal 

 to the farmer's pocket. Another advantage that 

 the spader has over the plow — it always scours, nor 

 does it require sharpening, as it is self sharpening. 

 If a tine becomes bent or broken it is easily repair- 

 ed or replaced by a new one, and we need have no 

 delay in running after a blacksmith. 



With the old strap plow and bull tongue, thirty 

 to forty acres was a good season's work, with one 

 team. Let us see how this was done. In this part 

 of the State we have April and May in which to 

 put in the corn crop. Generally we have in the 

 two months forty working days with the plow — 

 sometimes more but often less. With the old strap 

 plow, an acre and a half was a good day's work. 

 We had then — 



FOR FORTY ACRES, 



26 days plowing, 6 days harrowing, 3 days laying 

 off, 3 days covering ; 38 days with team. Add to 

 this, the laying off and covering having been done 

 with a single shovel or bull tongue, required an ex- 

 tra hand for six days. The dropping was also done 

 by hand at the rate of eight acres a day, making 

 the account stand thus : 28 days men and team, 

 $47 ; 11 days one hand, I5c, $8 25 ; total |o5 25, 

 or $1 38c an acre ; all with labor at half the pres- 

 ent rates Let us take a view of the same work 

 done with the spader : 



FORTY ACRES SPADED, 



6f days spading, $3 per day,f 20 ;6|- days extra team 

 $1 50 per day, $10 ; 3 J days planting and rolling 

 with combined roller and planter, $10 50; total, 

 $40 60 ; making a saving over the old mode, with 

 cheap labor, nearly fifteen dollars ; yet this is but 

 a part of the advantage. The difference in the 

 condition of the land for after culture, and the 

 increased crop thereby, are not to be overlooked. 



THE SULLIVANT MODE OF CORN PLANTING. 



To M. L. Sullivant, of Broadlands, near Homer, 

 in this county, is due the credit of the greatest im- 

 provement in corn culture ; and it is not detracting 



