14 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Jan. 
In addition to this, the ground must be plowed, 
cultivated, and hoed several times during the sum¬ 
mer—at least sufficient to keep the land mellow 
and free from weeds, for nothing is so unsightly as 
a hop-yard all grown up to weeds. Care should 
be taken not to haul dirt to the hills, but to keep 
it away, and leave the vine nearly or quite bare, 
where it unites with the root, during the early 
part of the season, as the grub which eats off the 
vine just at the surface of the ground, will be 
doing his work then. The grub generally does 
his work and disappears in the early part of July, 
and then the yard should be hilled, which is about 
the last thing to be done before picking. 
I have now given you the details of raising hops 
up to the time of picking, as practiced by myself 
and many others; if this should in some degree 
serve your purpose, and you think it would be of 
service to your readers, I will in some future num¬ 
ber, send you another article on picking, drying, 
preparing them for market, cost of cultivation, 
&c. An Otsego Hop-Grower. 
We are greatly obliged to our correspondent 
for the preceding, and shall be glad to receive the 
article he promises in relation to finishing the 
crop. —«►— 
The Cultivation of Wheat on.the Prairies. 
Mr. Tucker —The more I have investigat¬ 
ed the prevailing systems of cultivation and man¬ 
agement given to prairie land for the wheat crop, 
the more convinced have 1 become, that the Up¬ 
per Mississippi valley is destined before the lapse 
of many years, to become one of the most suc¬ 
cessful wheat growing portions of the world. The 
prevailing notions of farm practice will, however, 
have to undergo vast changes, before any material 
improvement need be expected. T hold that every 
intelligent mind, who has given up his life and study 
to carrying out the practical details of agriculture, 
can do something towards ameliorating and elevat¬ 
ing the present condition of American agricul¬ 
ture; and hence I am disposed, in common with 
many hundred other co-laborers, to snatch every 
idle moment that presents itself, for the purpose of 
presenting some useful suggestions before my fel¬ 
low farmers, that may prove profitable and accep¬ 
table, and afford them some u material aid” in 
removing the numerous mysteries that seemingly 
enshroud the ancient and noble profession of agri¬ 
culture. In this, as in all other reforms, innova¬ 
tions are subject to severe criticism; but no great 
physical change can be effected in any department 
of science or arts, without the use of means that 
will surely and forcibly remove existing barriers, 
and build up in their stead, a sound and philoso¬ 
phical structure. Now, in regard to the practical 
business of wheat growing in Illinois, Missouri, 
Iowa, and Wisconsin, I have become satisfied that 
the existing difficulties that prevent the success¬ 
ful culture of wheat, may be surmounted, and in 
process of time, what is now considered a doubt¬ 
ful business, may be converted into a safe and pro¬ 
fitable operation. 
Among the many things to be done in this mat¬ 
ter, is the making of naked fallows. This is ad¬ 
visable on many accounts, and where much or lit¬ 
tle wheat is sown, a naked fallow, consisting of at 
least one-third the area to be sown, should be made. 
Deep plowing, by which a liberal share of the 
clayey particles in the subsoil is brought to the 
surface, is important in the second or midsummer 
plowing; and instead of sowing the seed on a flat 
surface, the ground should be plowed into narrow 
ridges, and if possible the seed sown m drills, at 
the rate of from seven to eight pecks per acre. 
Clover culture is more required on the prairies*/ 
than even on the New-York oak openings, but 
the effects required to be produced on the former, 
'are materially different from what is necessary for 
the latter. The soil on the prairies requires to be 
acted upon mechanically by frost, sun, and air, 
and the percolating influence of clover, or any 
other tap-rooted plant, will produce the required 
change effectually, and at a very trifling cost. A 
clover sod, to be m the best possible condition for 
wheat, in a prairie country, should be broken up 
the second year in July, and the last of August 
plowed the second time, for seed, and the ground 
then will be cloddy, and in the very best condi¬ 
tion for seeding, securing the speedy germination 
of the seed, and a strong and healthy growth of 
plants, both of which are of the greatest conse¬ 
quence. 
If the plowman be expert, and can turn a well 
proportioned furrow, and make his work uniform, 
one plowing for a clover sod is sufficient—but it 
should be done one month before sowing, to im¬ 
part to the surface a suitable mellow condition for 
the seed, and also that portions of the sod may 
break up and remain on the surface, by the action 
of the seed harrows, thus securing the same ob¬ 
ject sought by the second plowing. Sowing wheat 
among standing corn is an excellent practice when 
done by competent workmen. The most success¬ 
ful plan will be found by planting the corn in rows 
five or six feet apart, and the hills in the rows 
two feet apart. The plowings, horse hoeings and 
dressing with the steel tooth cultivator, will all re¬ 
quire to be done in one direction across the field, 
and not in right angular rows, as is the common 
practice; and before the wheat is sown, the ground 
should be made level with a steel tooth cultivator 
or harrow. The time for seeding should be the 
