The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-01-28

observations ON Prairie Farming, which,
in some respects, differs from eastern
farming This difference consists
chiefly in the introduction of horse pow
er for hand power, together with the fact
that the ground is already cleared ready
for tie prairie plow, which differs con.
sidcra6ly from the common plow, The
Prairie can be brought to, in one year,
or be made to produce crop tho first
season. To effect this, tho sward is cut
in as wide and thin slips or furrows as
possible, By which means it rots in a
comparatively short time, when it is
ready for the seed and harrow. This
method has been introduced within few
years past, in opposition to the deep
plowing, by which process the ground
had to be twice plowed before sowing
and at the same tina requiring much
longer time for the sod to rot. The re-
suit of the improved method, is an ad-
vance in price of prairie lands, which is
now almost as high as improved land in
the Eastern States.
An effect is being made to invent
Steam Plow, which will probably be
done, since one that works very we'll has
already been made in England. When
a successful machine of thi: Kind has
been brought out, prairie farming may
be considered as being an exhibition of
agriculture on a grander scale than found
in any other part of the whole world.
Even now there is hardly any part of it
done directly by the hand. The reap
ing and threshing is done by horse pow
er, and whom the sowing, not wholly DONE
SO, by means Of drills, it is nearly SO
when the seed is scattered by hand, for
instead Of taking pail or bucket full
of seed in one hand and scattering the
! grain with the other, while tho sower
pods over the field, wagon box is
filed with seed and two or three mount
on topEonc seizing the reins to guido
the team, and tha others the gear to SOW
it broadcast, as thc establishment moves
in the proper directions over the ground.
In this way forty acres are sown in
day. Indian Corn is planted by horse
power, and the entire cultivation of it
afterward is performed by the same
means, with tie exception Of harvesting
which is done by aud-only the Sucker
cuts the corn down with a long knife
while the Yankee cuts it up wi h hook,
Fourteen hills here makes "stook,"
and the work is often done, when hired
at so much a stock or hill. Husking is
usually done by the pig or other animal
when it eats the corn-saving vast a.
mount of labor while the waste is prob.
ably inconsiderable.
There il a large amount of swine and
cattle in the country,nnd more horses than
generally supposed The person with whom
| am now boarding, though nota regular
farmer, keeps five horses, quite head
of swine and several cows and young cat
tie. There is a peculiarity here seldom
known in the East. When wild COW
strays, no special notice is taken Of it for
al least four or five days when hunt
cnsues and the missing animal is fonnd
sometimes dead, and, to make au Irish
bull, sometimes not at all.
The prairie is well calculated for keep
ing sheep, when they are protected from
wolves aud dogs and are we'll housed
But the general want of these thing
makes it extremely difficult to keel
them, aud farmers who own large farm
buy, often, their hos0fy.
Lumber is very high in price, ant
houses, as a consequence, are for tn
, most part, very small. Large cultivat
ed fields and little dwelling houses i
characteristic Of the Prairie country.
| may remark here, what properly be
/, longs in another place, that the price o
S corn,in the field ready TO harvest,is abou
eight cents per bushel, and about twent.
when harvested.
0 Many rent lands, the general rula be
< ing for the owner to find horse
team and seed, with farming tools, 70
one hslf the harvested crop. When tn
lessee furnishes these things, the owuc
only gets a third of the crop. In this v
ciuity the best time to take farms, is i
tho Spring, but few, however, make
property by this means. The farming
so loose, and the profits so little care
for, that at the close of the year the !
!. borer is about as poor as at the bsgi
o ming. A few, however, have succeede
better aud are now worth q small amour
J of property.
. Wood is comparatively scarce, but Il