s^. 



262 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEK. 



Septembeb 



er root crops, or beans or rape seed, seldom by 

 clorer. 



I must also remark that we raise more rye than 

 wheat, rye bread being the principal article of 

 home consumption ; but of late years the culture 

 of wheat has greatly increased, wheat being a more 

 profitable crop for export. 

 Now to my above rules : 



1. We hare one mode for plowing for which in 

 America you have not even a name; I shall call 

 it "skimming." This operation cannot be carried 

 out with an American plow. I have on my farm 

 here seven different plows in use, all made in 

 American shops, from the Moline steel plow and 

 Mohawk Valley Clipper, down to New York Eagle 

 bat with none of them, excellent as they are for 

 deep plowing, can I "skim" the field. Still thi^s is 

 a highly beneficial operation. It consists in fust 

 skimming of the top or sod, aiming to leave between 

 every two furrows a narrow strip (^ to 1 inch wide) 

 untouched. The plowshare therefore is set slant 

 ing, going about 1 to IJ inches deep at the land- 

 side, and slanting out to the surface. We accom- 

 plish this operation of "skimming" generally by 

 the common plow (on wheels) and one horse but 

 of late have introduced plows with two, three and 

 even five shares. I prefer the plow 'with three 

 shares, as this can be worked by two horses will 

 finish five acres a day and work well under all cir- 

 cumstances. Now you may ask what this skim- 

 ming is good for ? It gives the land a summer 

 fallow, which is equal m effect to a half manuring 

 It not only exposes the turned up furrow to the 

 action of the sun and air, but this very furrow 

 serves as a mulching fcr the layer below, completely 

 changing Us appearance and texture. This is of the 

 greatest importance. Under such a mulching the 

 land will be enriched by the treasures of the at- 

 mosphere. Only compare a field so skimmed three 

 weeks ago with one that has been Iving unskim- 

 med, and you will need no more argument. But 

 your readers will say, why not plow deep at once ? 

 For two reasons : I want the summer fallow to 

 commence as early as possible. When cutting 

 wheat, for instance, I have all the cocks put up in 

 straight rows running the wnyl want to plow; and 

 the very next day after the cradle follows the 

 skimming plow. We cannot wait until the wheat 

 may be drawn off, for we would lose one week and 

 the ground would bake. Just examine the soil on 

 the day of mowing, and then again two weeks later 

 where the sun has burned on the naked ground 

 and you will be satisfied ; experience will confirm 

 your observation. This may suffice for the present. 

 It would be impossible to give the fields a deep fur- 

 row and keep up with the mowers ; by merely 

 skimming this can be done ; the deep plowing 

 comes thereafter ; the land never becomes too hard 

 for it where it has been skimmed. The surface 

 soil having had the benefit of a fallow is then 

 turned below, and another layer exposed to fallow- 

 ing. This skimming is much preferable to the 

 work done by cultivators, for in skimming I turn 

 under all weeds and grasses, converting them into 

 manure, while the cultivator makes them into hay. 

 This skimming also does not make the land too 

 loose for wheat. I will merely add that on clover 

 land we generally omit the skimming, giving a deep 

 furrow, directly following the scythe. 



We want the ground to settle before sowing 



Never sow wheat or rye on new plowed ground, if 



you can help it, but give it the last furrow from 

 six to eight weeks before sowing time. This is of 

 the highest importance. The soil then becomes 

 thoroughly pulverized by the alternate action of 

 rain and sun — it rots ; aye, it will rise (puff) like a 

 well made dough — I can describe it in no other 

 way---the land must look as if yeast had been put 

 into it and had done its work well. Then is the 

 time to sow. A farmer must be able to discover 

 when this moment has arrived when he walks 

 across the fields, by the feeling of his steps, or by 

 rubbing some dirt between his fingers ; if he can- 

 not he is like a physician that cannot feel his pa- 

 tient's pulse. 



But my letter is growing too long- Let me close 

 by saying that it will not do simply to cover the 

 seed by the harrow, but that the harrow and roller 

 united must completely Jpack the ground and de- 

 stroy all intervals created by the plow. Your feet 

 dare not sink in ; the harder the better. Pack it 

 at the bottom ; leave it open on the surface. Small 

 clods on the surface are an advantage ; dust on 

 top is not desirable. I mistrust all smooth rollers ; 

 but with least success have covered the seed 

 (wheat or rye) by Crosby's clod-breaker alone, and 

 finished the whole job without any harrow. 



Of course there are soils so infested by certain 

 weeds, and there are climates so dry and burning, 

 that in such localities it will not do to plow the 

 ground eight weeks before sowing for the last time. 



L. 



The above contains many valuable hints to our 

 prairie farmers, especially plowing land immedi- 

 ately after harvest. Will not our farmers look 

 further into the subject ? — Ed. III. Farmer. 



-«•»- . ■ 



The Destruction of Forests. 



The most notable and serious modifications ef- 

 fected by man's agency are those caused by the 

 destruction of forests. The cutting away of wood 

 not only changes the appearance of the landscape, 

 and the character of the spot laid under the axe ; 

 when practised to a large extent, its effects extend 

 to great distances — perhaps over the whole conti- 

 nent, and almost revolutionize climate, soils and 

 surfaces. The forest retards evaporation, and of- 

 fers an effectual barrier to the wind. Its porous 

 soil and still more porous accumulation of vegeta- 

 ble debris absorb and retain the moisture, and its 

 tangled masses of sticks and roots restrain the fu- 

 ry of torrents, and prevent the devastation they 

 might otherwise occasion. From these circum- 

 stances, it is free from the extremes of summer and 

 winter temperature ; it acts as a constant condens- 

 er of moisture in the atmosphere, and promotes 

 frequent and copious showers. When the forests 

 are taken away, these conservative elements go 

 with them. The order and character of the sea- 

 sons are disturbed ; they become more uncertain, 

 the lines that divide them become less distinct — 

 Noah Webster observed this fact in America even 

 before the commencement of the present century. 

 Said he, in 1799, "When the forest is gone, the 

 reservoir of moisture stored up in its vegetable 

 mould is evaporated, and returns only in deluges 

 of rain to wash away the parched dust into which 

 that mold has been converted. The well-wooded 





