any time from September tillspriug and they 
will gather all the crop and more fatness too 
than they could get from ten acres of corn. 
= In March or April, owing to the latitude, 
plant the Chufas and Cat-Tail Millet audio 
May, June or July, according to the growth 
April the crops have made, turn in the sheep to 
odof remain until frost, then give the hogs a 
e had chance and you will be convinced that there 
ream. j s no necessity for any farmer “ to keep his 
here. I smoke-house in the West,” 
ing hundreds of miles in order to be at home 
every six months, and thus keep the land. 
Meantime I hired some breaking done. In 
the fall of 1871 I had ft good horse team, 
twenty-five acres breaking done, and had 
built a warm house. Went up to work m 
the timber over winter to earn some money 
to buy seed wheat, etc., in order to get a 
good start in spring. Failed to make any¬ 
thing, because too many farmers, like me, 
wanted work, and prices were low. Lost ray 
__ _ 1 i, u n tn hire for soring work: 
HARDER’8 RAILWAY HORSE POWER, 
THRESHER AND CLEANER. 
As the harvesting season is approaching, 
when not only reapers but threshers and 
cleaners will he in demand, grain growers 
must naturally be seeking such improved 
labor-saving implements and machines as 
will best help them through the trying 
period of gathering and preparing for market 
their staple products. Hence we give a rep¬ 
resentation of a very valuable machine—the 
Two-Horse Railway Power, and Thresher and 
Cleaner, manufactured by Minakd Harder, 
at the Empire Agricultural Works, Coble- 
skill, N. Y. Of these implements the judges 
at the National Implement Trial, held at 
Auburn, N. Y.,—which was one of the most 
thorough tests ever held in this or any other 
country—made an extended report, from 
which we extract the following : 
The construction is such as to produce a 
sufficient speed for threshing, by a very slow 
and easy movement of the horses, its will be 
seen from the following statement. The 
average number of revolutions of the chain 
in one minute, was, according to our observa¬ 
tions, while threshing, C?.i to 7. Assuming 
citron revolutions Tier minute as the tine 
prospering slowly; mre * 
have it better In a few years. 
We have a cattle law ; have to herd or 
picket our stock ; but notwithstanding, keep 
as much as our means afford US to get and 
raise. Every caff is cared for to increase 
the number of milch cows or working oxen. 
We build stables of sod, a nd keep our stock m 
good condition. I feed mine four times a 
day in winter, and water once. My hay was 
salted when stacked ; i-- _ . . 
and at noon ; <— 
and at night; ml 
nips once a day ; 
Americans think milk is 
butter or cheese 
vian) know how to use 
food of milk, especially in 
can go along with a go- 
tea when money is scarce, 
economy for a new settler, 
cans don’t want in. 
cleaning stables in winter, 
stables; they had rather 
We raise as i- 
pork is a cash ar 
per pound, and a 
ern farmer when 
potatoes. 
We have to 
draw all wo can in wi 
work in summer, when tii 
Land grant railroads ar 
leys and timber, and stop w 
open prairies ; then get their 
waiting for prairies to get set 
waiting for ri--— - 
they do build they have 
eling, or stop running 
March. Elevators i— 
Up, and when farmers 
for hauling out w) 
reduced prices; 
that wheat brings w 
thirty-live miles, to market. Oats bnng ~ 
cents, and then only for .trade. Times get 
dull, houses deserted; railroad and Stale 
laud can’t be sold or cultivated ; neighbors 
are far apart, and no schools in some towns, 
because new settlers can’t build sohoolhouses 
enough for some yearn. 
Some one, well off, would Ray— “ But these 
poor homestead sett lers will discourage set¬ 
tlers with means,” May be ; but a man with 
moans will look for a better location than 
open prairies, far from timber ; and if some 
R, THRESHER AND CLEANER. 
Millet should be planted thickly i 
ell manured, a 
will be sufficient. 
HARDER’S RAILWAY HORSE FUW 
First, in drills. Some practice this method 
and recommend it to others. I quit, using it. 
years ago, for these reasons It affords only 
about one-half as much feed as the other 
method of sowing broadcast. It leaves the 
land open to the light and heat of the nun, to 
generate noxious weeds, that will oiten dt 
maud the attention of the farmer, in the most 
hurried period of the season. It involves 
more time and labor. This, and what fol- ) 
lows, relate to my own experience. Others 
may have different views. 1 heoriosar<* v < i \ 
good in tluir place, but they need experi¬ 
ments to test their value for practicable pur¬ 
poses. 
I will relate minutely the second mode of 
growing corn for stock It wus on a loamy 
soil, barren, except of weeds, and I spread a 
moderate coat of barn-yard manure and 
plowed it under. With a harrow it was then 
leveled to a smooth surface, and well pulver¬ 
ized. It was then sown with three bushels of 
good seed corn to the acre, and harrowed till 
well covered, and then rolled with a heavy 
roller. It should be got in immediately after 
plowing while the land is moist,. Tills will 
facilitate its early grow til, so t hat it will cov¬ 
er the ground before t he weeds have time to 
appear. The. result- was, that- there were no 
weeds grow a with the corn. It grew finely 
about five feet high, and so thick that it be¬ 
came a safe retreat for rabbits, with dogs at 
three feet apart, w 
thorough plowing* 
the C'hufuK in furrows about two feet apart 
and one foot distant, in the row, let the fur¬ 
rows be from 'l to 1 inches deep, cover with 
harrow, board or plow. I think 500 bushels 
can be made from one acre of good land, with 
two plowing# by planting 1 by 1 foot. In 
fact, if the land is well harrow ed anti pulver- 
nnr-i- in' twice before the Ohufas " come 
is fed in the morning 
oat straw is fed at ten o’clock 
ilch cows get a peek of tur- 
I all hay is eaten up clean. 
“ ‘ i no food, except as 
; but our women (Scandina- 
uud prepare good 
i winter time, anti 
>od deal less coffee and 
which is some 
l think Ameri- 
aible with milking or 
or to build warm 
sit by the stove, 
many hogs as possible, because 
tide at four and five cents 
good assistant for a west- 
packing his stomach with 
haul firewood ten miles, and 
liter to avoid such 
tue is more valuable, 
■e built through val- 
rhen reaching 
, grant extended 
ittled up—settlers 
railroads to be built—and when 
to learn snow shov- 
frorn January to 
and warehouses get filled 
(have the best chance 
heat they can hardly sell at 
about 75 cents a bushel is all 
hen drawn from here, 
ized once or twice before the Ohufas 
up.” thereby destroying young grass and 
weeds, but one working will bo necessary ; 
after this nearly all other vegetation will be 
smothered in its incipienoy. If I deemed it 
advisable to kill Bermuda Grass (but I do 
not) would certainly give Ohufas, thickly 
planted, a trial. . 
The thresher is overshot. The cylinder is 
nl wood, covered with sheet iron and Heavily 
banded : is heavier than usual ; accurately 
balanced, so tlmt very' little vibration is pro¬ 
duced when revolving at its highest speed. 
The cylinder revolves about 1,1 (Hi times a 
minute, when the horse- travel at the rate <;t 
iu miles per hour. The cylinder shaft is 
provided with u ratchet coupling, by means 
of which the cylinder continues to revolve 
IV.-ely whim the horse power ht suddenly 
stopped, which avoids the dangerous wrench 
which would ensue if the groat velocity of 
(lie cylinder were suddenly arrested. Hie 
arrangements lor separating tho grain ironi 
the straw are unusually good ; two forked 
arms in the separator uiv continually rising 
and lulling. Which keep the straw loose and 
facilitate the separation of the grain. Jt has 
b quick vibration *>f 4 inches. 4 lie sieves 
are larger than usual; they are five in mini 
her, shaken laterally, and are supplied with a 
very powerful stream of wind, flic met nan 
icai construction and execution are of the 
very best kind, and we have no hesitation in 
saving that, in our opinion, this machine 
embodies the greatest advances that nave yet 
been made in the art of separating grain from 
the straw. It delivered the grain m a very 
clean and excellent condition, "e limy 
believe it to be admirably adapted to meet 
the wants of the farmers, and therefore we 
recommend to the Executive Committee to 
give a gold medal to this machine. 
HOP CULTURE 
Now for the last 25 years, hops have not, 
averaged over 25c. per lb, llis calculations on 
expense of growing and harvesting is l ight, 
with my calculation. About poleing, if a 
fanner has the poles on Ills own land where 
he can get them for cutting, he could cut, 
haul and sharpen for the fifty dollars per 
acre ; but, if he wants poles to last, SO years, 1 
think he will have to use cedar poles. 
Because hops brought 50c, to 56c. a pound 
last year, there will a large number start, in 
business of hop-growing ; I advise those who 
do, to go slow ; for there arc other expenses 
to add to hop-growing; after getting roots 
and poles there will be a dry kiln and hop 
press to build ; also picker’s boxes to make 
and other expenses, such as stoves and pipes 
for dry-kiln. 
Some five years ago, there was a great ‘cry 
for' hop roots and those who had them for 
some farmers 
sale sold them at high prices 
set from one to five acres iu the spring ; l lieu 
when winter came, they began to count the 
cost of poles for their acres oi' hops, to be 
poled in the spring ; then came the thought, 
how au.l where they were going to dry their 
hops; so some got Beared at the future ex¬ 
penses. When spring came they plowed them 
up while others went in for two or three 
years. Hops kept low iu price, uot bringing 
over 10c. a pound, so they plowed their hop 
yards up and used the poles for fence stakes. 
New beginners, dont make your figures iu 
dollars too large in raising hops, but look out 
for “air castles” about these days. 
Whitewater, Wis. Uncle James. 
A Georgia correspondent ot tue ooumem 
Cultivator says If any one wishes a sheep 
pasture fresh, green and unfailing during the 
parching droughts of summer, he can have 
it by* planting tlio Spanish Chula or Earth 
Almond. This wonderful plant is unappre¬ 
ciated and neglected by most farmers, and 
yet will yield on impoverished, worn out land 
more nutritious food for sheep, swine and 
farm stock generally than any grain, grass 
or root crop we grow under the most favora¬ 
ble conditions of soil and seasons. In April 
last, I planted 0-half bushel of seed, costing 
$5.00, on one acre of tho poorest land on my 
place—a bare, bald knoll, so barren of fertili¬ 
ty that it would scarcely ” sprout cow-peas ” 
—and although the crop received but one 
working ami the seed were planted 3 by 2 
feet, double the distance required, the yield 
was over 100 bushels. Tho grass v. ill grow .1 
I to 4 feet high, uninjured by drouth or heat, 
and is improved by pasturing with sheep ; 
affording an abundance of rich, tender, 
sweet herbage until frost, and an increased 
yield of roots. The roots are troublesome to 
gather for market, especially in gravelly or 
rocky soil, but turn in the hogs and poultry 
FIELD NOTES 
Sowing Wheat and Oats Together—“ The 
Western Farmer says The plan of sowing 
some oats with spring wheat has been prac¬ 
ticed to a considerable extent in some part» 
of Wisconsin, and probably more this spring 
than ever before. James Gillifi, CdDksville, 
Wis., informs us that in his vicinity but little 
wheat was sown alone, most farmers sowing 
from a fourth to a tliird of a bushel of oats 
per acre with the wheat. The attacks of the 
chinch bugs are thought to be prevented to a 
good degree, by this method. There is little 
difficulty in separating the wheat from the 
oats.” 
Removing Potato Sprouts before Planting 
_p asks:—“If potatoes nave sprouted 
in tiie cellar, before planting, is it better to 
remove the sprouts or let them lemum . 
i Better to remove them. 
SWIVEL FLOW ON FARMS. 
A CORRESPONDENT of the RuB f T ' ?fike 
Yopker writes;—“I should very mut .i like 
some of your correspondent* who hav - us i 
a Swivel plow, to tell me how thev 
and why—if they think it preferable to the 
ordinary plow for general farm 
There lias been a good deal said ^ bou .M. ' r . 
and I have been looking to see what • 
who had used them think of them. W here 
can I get one and at what pnee f 
