68 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
spread evenly and pulverize it by the use of a heavy brush ; plow anc 
harrow well and plant from the ist to the 25th of May. We prefei 
to plant the early part of the month so that the cultivating may be 
through in time for haying, and it is less liable to be injured by earl) 
frosts in the fall. 
After planting use the harrow until the corn begins to show 
above the ground. Commence with the cultivator as soon as the corr 
will stand it, and go through it at least as often as once a week till il 
is grown so as to well shade the ground. When the crop is matured 
and before the stalks are dried it should be cut and shocked. Com¬ 
mence husking as soon as the corn is cured sufficiently to crib. The 
stalks should be put in the barn, or stacked, as the husking progresses 
Some leave them standing in the field through the fall rains and ever 
into winter. In this way they often become bleached and rotted unti: 
they are comparatively worthless. 
” From five to ten acres of thick-drilled corn will generally prove a 
good investment. An immense amount can be raised to the acre, and 
it is as good as hay for winter feeding, and in case the pasture should 
fail from protracted drouth, it can be cut and fed green. In this way 
the possibility of a famine may with reasonable certainty be averted, 
Raise pumpkins with corn. They cost but little, and a couple of 
wagon loads per day through the fall will relieve the pasture and 
keep the stock in fine condition. 
Rye is undoubtedly the best grain with which to sow timothy 
and clover, but as it is not sown to any extent on dairy farms the seed- 
in cr is generally done with oats. We sow three pounds of clover with 
ten ol timothy to the acre. If a larger proportion of clover is used 
on strong ground it will be likely to overcome the timothy so that only 
a crop of clover will be raised the first year at least. We have had 
quite as good success by mixing the seed with the oats and sowing 
with a broad-cast seeder. New seeding, having a good share of clo¬ 
ver, should be cut the last days of June and the first part of July, and 
all grass should be cut before the stalk becomes woody. The meadow 
should be broken up after taking off the third or fourth crop ; the 
sod then readily yields to the harrow, and a good crop of corn is most 
sure to follow. 
I have now only considered the farm as a financial investment, 
and have given a few scattered thoughts as to how in my judgment it 
should be managed to produce the best results. There is an endless 
variety of details, which cannot be written, connected with carrying 
on the dairy farm, and on their proper execution, success or failure, 
will very much depend. These must call into action the best judg¬ 
ment of the practical farmer. Comparatively few fully appreciate the 
value of their farms as based on the net income they will yield. Every 
farmer should keep a debit and credit account with his farm, showing 
the whole income and every expense incurred in carrying it on, and 
if he is thorough and efficient I am safe in saying he will think well of 
his investment, and will not be likely to barter it away for refuse 
stocks of merchandise or something else equally fleeting. He will 
then be able to compare accounts from year to year, and note the 
progress he is making. 
