OCT 28 
734 
the Spring and Summer months. Formerly, 
when the country was new and the soil a fresh- 
broken prairie south of 42 degrees, the Spring 
wheat crop was a success two or three years 
out of every ten, but never, except tho season 
was exceptional in temperature and rainfall, 
one or both. Still, with all these climatic and 
other influences against them, there are those 
who will continue to experiment with the 
crop, and to them I offer the following sug¬ 
gestions: If on old land it were possible, the 
best preparation for Spring wheat, both for 
the black soil of the prairie and all that por¬ 
tion of the timbered country which originally 
bore heavy growths of Burr Oak, Blue Ash, 
Black-walnut, sugar trees and Red Elms, and 
other trees common to good land, would be to 
remove from six inches to a foot of the top 
soil, and theif sow the seed with no other pre¬ 
vious preparation than to harrow up a little 
seed-bed two or three inches deep, then drill 
in the grain and roll. Thus we would have 
nearly the original fallow common to prairie 
soils, less an excess of vegetable matter and 
those liberal amounts of the essential mineral 
elements of plant food, phosphorous, potash, 
etc., and their compounds of magnesia and 
lime, to say nothing of the advantages of a 
crystallized and compacted substratum for the 
wheat roots to revel in. But, as stripping the 
soil a foot or six inches, or even three, is out 
of the question, we must adopt a coarse of 
preparation which puts the soil and the sub¬ 
soil in a nearly similar state. That is, pre¬ 
viously choosing in preference lauds which 
have been in crops taking off nitrogen and 
potash, like corn and potatoes; we must, for 
the approaching Spring crop, plow the land 
deeper in the late Summer or earlyFall months, 
that there may be time for the vegetable mat¬ 
ter to be decomposed, and if too much nitro¬ 
gen exists in the soil, that this excess will be 
carried off by evaporation from the surface, 
and further for those chemical actions and 
reactions to take place which bring tho plant- 
food into a soluble state after fetching it to 
the surface aud sunshine. Then the seeding 
must be done as early as safe, in March if pos¬ 
sible, and rolling uni harrowing thereafter be 
indulged in if the crusty state of the soil de¬ 
mands it and the condition of the plants aud 
the field will allow of it. Then all favorable 
conditions for a crop having been fulfilled as 
nearly as can be, the outcome will depend, if 
not on a moderate rainfall and a low mean 
temperature from seed time to harvest, at 
least on the absence of heavy rains with con¬ 
tinued heat and much thunder and lightning. 
In a few words, three years out of seven or 
perhaps ten. Spring wheat may be grown as 
far south as .'18 deg. if the above described 
essential conditions are strictly adhered to; 
but four or five years out of seven it will fail 
disastrously in spite of everything the farmer 
can do, and for the reasons above stated and 
explained. And the history of Spring wheat 
growing since 1865, in so much of the Spring 
wheat region of Illinois as lies south of 42 deg., 
will confirm the statement. 
In conclusion, if this brief essay on Spring 
wheat growing were intended for a publica¬ 
tion whose circulation were confined to the 
narrow limits of one State or neighborhood, 
it might have gone into detail as to the exact 
course to be pursued iu that section; but since 
the Rubai. New-Yorker circulates over 
thirty degrees of latitude and more than twice 
as many of longitude, brief articles on the 
cultivation of the cereals were better confined 
to the statement of general principles govern¬ 
ing the production of them. 
Champaign Co., Ill. 
SEEDING WHEAT. 
pacting of the soil, and-it leaves the covering 
light and open, but often too much so. and gen¬ 
erally very uneven in depth, for it ia not. un¬ 
common in clayey soil to see portions of the 
drills quite uncovered, while, throughout, 
the covering ia such that much of the grain 
trickles dowu among it, never reaching the 
proper depth, and being dangerously exposed 
to parching if tha weather happens to be dry. 
These risks, including that of dry weather, 
are all obviated if sound, fresh seed is put in 
at a uniform, moderate depth, and the mellow 
covering be pressed down upon it sufficiently 
to exclude actual currents of dry air which 
would soon rob the soil surrounding the seed of 
the necessary moisture. The special danger of 
too deep a planting of the seed is well illustrat¬ 
ed and explained in a pampb let entitled “A 
Revolution in Wheat-Culture” which may be 
had for the asking on application to Professor 
John Hamilton, State College, Center Co., Pa. 
It describes an attachment to the common drill 
which ia a simple way secures the essentials 
of even covering at any depth best suited to 
the seed and soil, and of even pressure, press¬ 
ing the covering down to the seed without 
too much compacting it. The importance 
of this last is obvious to every farmer who 
has noticed how much sooner and more 
evenly corn will come up in dry weather in a 
hill upon which the foot has been lightly set, 
than in hills which have had a mere loose, pow¬ 
dery or cloddy covering with the hoe or the 
crumbling after the drill. o. w. 
The waste of wheat seed by the ordinary pro¬ 
cesses of sowing or drilling is as obvious to 
every farmer of our days as it was when the 
parable of the " Sower” was written; and in 
the aggregate It amounts to an enormous loss. 
The ideal practice of seeding pretty closely 
carried out in the practice of a careful gar¬ 
dener, is to use juBt seed enough for each of the 
young plants to have room anti space for that 
full development and spread of leaves or 
blades which are essential to the complete yield 
of a full product, and then to secure the even 
germination of every seed by putting all at 
an equal depth, covering evenly with a friable, 
easily penetrated mold, and pressing this into 
such close contact as will secure sutfleient and 
steady moisture with access of butnid air, but 
not in free, dry currants, for this is essential 
to the germination. 
How different is the ordinary field practice! 
In broadcast sowing some of the grains trickle 
to the bottom of the furrow while some re¬ 
main barely hidden on the surface; and often 
not the half is placed iu a condition for sur¬ 
viving the critical stage of sprouting and es¬ 
tablishing roots and aereal blades that can 
maintain growth. The harrow- packs the 
surface while often leaving air chambers be¬ 
neath, which is just the reverse of what the 
young wheat plant requires. The drill allows 
the advantage of a prior harrowing and com- 
Nebraska Potatoes. 
At the late Nebraska State Fair the Land 
Department, of the Union Pacific Railway 
made a special display of potatoes. The ob¬ 
ject was to awaken a general interest in culti¬ 
vating newer and better kinds in larger quan 
tities, and it is believed that the effect was 
good. Nebraska furnished about 200 sam¬ 
ples of a peck each of 20 or more varieties. 
Utah, Colorado, Idaho and the Black Hills 
were well represented. Some of the finest 
specimens were those of Mammoth Pearl, 
White Star, Early Ohio, Burbank’s Seedling, 
Early Vermont, Belle, Granger, White Ele¬ 
phant, Alpha, etc., besides older kinds like 
Early Rose, Victor, Feaebblow and others. 
The yield given was from 250 to 550 bushels 
per acre. The potato crop is always a pay¬ 
ing one, and this year the potato-bug having 
been alight “yield,” the margin of profit to 
the fanner is a large one. Present price here 
is 50 cents. In the Western part of the State 
better prices are obtained for shipments to the 
mining regions. a. 
Omaha, Neb. 
Heige’s Wheat. 
We are sorry not to have received the fol¬ 
lowing information sooner as we much desire, 
from our own test, to have this wheat widely 
tried. We are glad to print such advertise¬ 
ments without charge, knowing from our own 
experience the probable value of the article in 
question. 
“In reply to the query, ‘ Who has Heige’s 
Prolific Wheat for Sale,’ in the Rural, of 
Sept. 16,1 can say that I can spare 50 busbelg— 
thegemiiue article. I grew mine from seed 
furnished by the Department of Agriculture 
in 1880, and I have kept it pure. I will deliver 
it free at the depot iu barrels or in bags, at the 
buyer’s expense, for $1.50 per bushel of 60 
pounds. S. H. Russell, 
Crown Point, Essex Co., N. Y. 
Burfll topics. 
NOTES ON BACK NUMBERS. 
T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
to a neighbor for information, we have to go 
to books aud papers. And yet xk'w much land 
there is, every wiiere, ihat would l>e trebled 
in productive value by tile draining! The 
trouble is that most of this land, though so 
trebled iu value, AuUld still not uhen be vvorlh 
the cost ol tee iliing. Naturally drained 
land is too plenty on l too cheap lor tile drain¬ 
ing to make the progress uere that it has 
made in cold and claj'ey Bi.iatn. 
Rural Sept. 23.—I had a dozen two-year- 
old plants of Fay’s Currant this Spring, which 
produced some fruit. It ia certainly a very 
large currant, aud as the bunches on these 
plants (out of the ground all Winter and with 
the buds pushed more than an inch when re¬ 
ceived), were quite equal to Cherry Currants 
on established bushes, I have, I think, well 
grounded hopes that the Fay is all it is claimed 
to be. From the new wood on this dozen I 
made and planted 45 cuttings yesterday. 
G, H. S. is right about the damage of press¬ 
ing watermelons to ascertain their ripeness, 
and also about the uncertainty of the tendril 
test. They must lie percussed, and “when dey 
go pank dey is green, aud when dey go punk 
dey ia ripe.” 
And so is Professor Ward when he says the 
butter business cannot advance in Kansas (or 
any where else), without cold, deep setting of 
the milk for cream raising. In small dairies 
of Jersey cows in the hands of highly accom¬ 
plished butter makers there is an exception to 
this rule, but it is a small and the only one. 
Unless you are a fancy butter maker from 
choice stock on a small scale, don’t try to make 
butter with small pans. The change to deep 
setting in this State has advanced both quality 
and yield immensely, and yet a few of oui 
very best makers still use the small pans aud 
get a fancy price. But even they are grad¬ 
ually adopting the deep, cold method. 
“Clem Aui.don” on Ingersoll and the slum¬ 
ber of the honest farmer is pretty good. As 
for the latter, it will regulate itself, as “Clem” 
says, and early to rise follows naturally, if 
not Inevitably, early to bed. 
Whatever Mr. Hovey says, if the Man¬ 
chester Strawberry resembles ihe Green Pro¬ 
lific, then it does not tally with the descriptions 
or the colored pictures of it. The G. P. is a 
pale scarlet berry; the Manchester is repre¬ 
sented as a bright, though not very deep crim¬ 
son, in the Messrs. Hale’s plate on the wail be¬ 
fore me. I am keeping that plate to compare 
with the fruit next season. I do not believe 
that any berry of the color of the Green Pro¬ 
lific was ever as firm fleshed as the Manches¬ 
ter is said to be. 
Rural Sept. 30.—Mr. Blackwell’s Walk 
Among the Apple Trees is very instructive. 
Why has it been said that the Fourth of July 
Apple resembles Tetofsky i There is no similar¬ 
ity in the fruit, and not much in the tree. It 
has borne with me this season for the first time 
from cions received from Charles Downing. 
It was not ripe 8ept, 4, and is too hard fleshed 
to be good for anything but cooking. It is, 
however, handsome and the growth thrifty 
here. Summer Hagloe has been sold for 
Duchess of Oldenburg, but is not nearly as 
hardy. Alexander is best far north, but not 
very good anywhere, except as a show apple. 
Specimens weighing pound are often seen 
at the Montreal Horticultural Society’s ex¬ 
hibitions. There are two Dutch Mignonnes, 
both described in Downing. The one described 
in the early edition is grown and liked very 
much in Grand Isle Co., Vt., the only fault 
being that, like all large apples, it blows off. 
Both kindsare early Winter in Vermont. Che¬ 
nango Strawberry does not rot in Vermont. 
which he speaks, it is worthless in this section 
unless severely pinched, and I see no advan¬ 
tage that it has over well kuown varieties. 
Jmplcmmte, 
I 
Potatoes are shaded almost all the time by 
nature in Ireland and Western Scotland, where 
they grow famously. Your experiment has 
been anticipated on a large scale, Mr. Rural, 
with identical results, [We did not know it. 
It is pretty hard to originate experiments that 
have never been tried before. Eds]. 
What B. F. J. says of grasses is interesting 
and practical. Orchard Grass is perfectly 
hardy here. Our clover was all killed by the 
last open and cold Winter (which also killed 
apple tree roots and thus destroyed many 
trees) while not a tussock of Orchard Grass 
suffered on my farm. But it will not live on 
moist or wet soils. Also what he says of Fall 
rye is sound. Our farmers (dairymen) are 
sowing lots of it this Fall for Spring feeding, 
and also for grain. It yields wonderfully at 
the rate of 40 to 60 bushels per acre. I grew 
31J£ bushels this season on 97>£ rods. 
It is rather curious that American farmers 
still have to be instructed by agricultural 
writers in regard to tile draining. It shows, 
and so does observation, how little progress 
tile draining has made in this country after 
having been urged upon us by the press for 
upwards of 40 years. I suppose there is not 
an average of one tile-drained field in 10 
towns, the country over. So, instead of going 
SULKY PLOWS, ETC, 
I am glad to see what Mr. Falconer says 
about English Gooseberries. My father grew 
them in great perfection for many years in 
Maine on a clay soil. They can be grown 
anywhere North with proper care on coal 
soils, or northern exposures, and even on 
moderately light soil with a good mulch un¬ 
der them. But I believe that when equal at¬ 
tention is given to growing seedlings from our 
native kinds even better berries will bo got 
than those of England. Downing and Smith’s 
seedlings are a long step in advance already, 
though I have had suspicions that both are 
hybrids between the natives and foreign. At 
any rate, they require much the same treat¬ 
ment to avoid mildew. 
I am pleased to see several writers recently 
insisting, as “8.” does (p. 6S3), on the necessi¬ 
ty of pinching in all vines of squash and melon 
in order to promote fruitfulness. It is an im 
portant point, especially when the warm 
season is short. As to the Gem Squash, of 
WALDO F. BROWN. 
DuiUNO the last few years the attention of 
manufacturers has been directed to riding or 
sulky plows, and quite a large number have 
been introduced. Most of them carry the 
plow directly under the sulky and between 
the wheels, but the - which I am 
using, attaches the plow to the side of the 
sulky, it running on the land with the horses 
attached directly to the beam of the plow, 
and drawing the sulky by the plow. By means 
of this arrangement the plow does not need 
to be taken out of the ground at the corners of 
the land, for it pivots round on the point. 
This plow does excellent work, and can be 
managed by a boy or anyone who can drive a 
team, as there is no lifting at all. I have 
never seen a plow that equaled it for turning 
under a heavy growth of clover or other 
green crops. It is furnished with rolling cut¬ 
ter and weed hook, aud I have seen green 
broom corn stalks 10 feet high turned 
under completely by it. I know of one other 
plow manufactured at - Ohio, with 
which one can plow without taking the plow 
out of the ground, but with this the plow 
is under and between the wheels of the sulky. 
A firm at another Ohio town make a sulky to 
which any ordinary plow can be attached, 
but I have never seen it work. The- 
plow has a pivot axle, so that the wheel which 
runs in the furrow leans, bub an intelligent 
dealer in my village who handles several 
kinds of riding plows tells me that it is too 
complicated for an ordinary farmer to keep 
properly adjusted. I am convinced that we 
have sulky plows of as light or lighter draft, 
even with the weight of <% man added, 
than an ordinary plow cutting a furrow of 
the same size, for the weight of the plow be¬ 
ing carried by the wheels must reduce the 
friction. 1 see no valid reason why the farmer 
should not ride the plow if he wishes to do so, 
and believe that riding plows will come into 
general use. 
I sa*v at our fair this Fall a wheeled 
harrow in which I was much interested. 
It has curved cutting steel teeth some¬ 
thing like those of the “Acme” harrow, 
and a seat like a mowing machine, and it can 
be used not only as a pulverizer, but, by re¬ 
moving the two center teeth as a corn culti¬ 
vator. Still another new iinplementinvented 
by a gentleman near where I live, is a com¬ 
bined roller, harrow and cultivator. The 
operator rides, and following the rollers, which 
run between the corn row3, there can be at¬ 
tached either a harrow or a cultivator, with 
fenders to protect the young corn. I have not 
seen this at work in the field, but I am much 
pleased with its appearance, and think it will 
prove a labor-saver, enabling the farmer to 
roll and cultivate at one operation. 
We have still another implement for the 
cultivation of corn which has been introduced 
within a few years, and has become very pop¬ 
ular. It is the double-bar plow. We find on 
our clay lands that it Is of great importance 
to so work the corn crop that it will start to 
grow early, and experience has proved that 
plowing the soil from it so as to leave the corn 
on a narrow ridge, which quickly warms 
through, gives it a wonderful start. Besides, 
when we turn a furrow away from the com 
and then with a cultivator stir it back, wo 
have it well pulverized and all the weeds 
destroyed. The double-bar plow enables the 
farmer to do this work rapidly and effectively 
and without covering a hill of corn. This 
implement consists of two light-turning or 
bar plows, each having one handle and an up¬ 
right morticed into the front end of beam. 
These plows are fastened together by a flat 
wooden bar at the front and rear, which can 
be adjusted to any desired width; each plow 
is provided with a rolling cutter, which pre¬ 
vents covering up the com. They are used 
with two horses, one walking each side of the 
row, and I think there is no implement that 
will do better work. It is not expensive, 
costing complete but $16. The plows can he 
separated aud used singly. One important 
thing where those plows are to be used, is to 
get the corn plauted straight, and I find by 
using a sled-marker, which makes three rows 
at once and a furrow but three inches wide 
at the top and running to a point at the bot¬ 
tom like a V, we can keep the drill wheel in 
this furrow and get our rows straight. There 
has been a wonderful improvement in the last 
10 years in implements for stirring and culti¬ 
vating the soil, and each year brings out 
something new. Not only are we pulver¬ 
izing our soil better, but we are doing it 
