Nebraska advertiser., 1858-04-01
AeriCaItHFe.
Prairie Breaking.


Let all 'hesv settlers read the following
article. Ii is Just the advice fol. thousands
who start the prarie plOw for the first
time, this season. Our correspond has
our thanks for this article.
MEssRs .EDIToRs: In August of the
yeas lS40, there being something of al
drought, and the tall prairie grass be-
coming dry near the ground. / thought
thatsin the dry time it would Be the best
chance to kill dead the prairie grass on a
tract of land on which / wanted 10 make
garden, and the following year the
groud was so hard that / could not keep
plow.in it a: all less than four inches
deep. / had to put six yoke of good OK
en- TO the plow, one man at the plow ham
dies and one at the beam to keep the plOw
in.
In the spring of lS41, whenI attemp-
ted to replow it, | found all that which
looked like earth before the plow, when
turned up, had the appearance Of ladies'
heads, their faces covered with mud, and
their tresses drabbled IN it. Those hairy
clods did not entirely disappear for three
years.
The year 1856, was with us, very
wet season. Whenever it did not rain, and
the old ground was too wet to plow, We
run the prairie plow. We broke some
prairie nearly every week from the first of
May to the tenth of September. The
ground being wet, the grass had contin-
ued to grow, and was full of sap all of
the time, until it was turned under. 1t
all rotted well, and all that was broken up
that season was in good condition fer cul-
tivation in 1856. From all that ]. have
seen of prairie breaking, conclude that
it maybe done to advantage at any time
after the grass is up enough for cattle to
live well upon it, until it begins TO die.
The upper part of the grass will look
green after the sap has ceased to circulate
near the ground--then 1t is too late TO
plow. .s5t to11
CORN ON PRAIRIE SOD.
If was compelled to rely entirely on
new prairie for-corn suitable for grinding
the following would he my plan:
Break three inches deep, as early as il
can be done to advantage, that is, as soon
as cattle can live upon the grass. With
an axe or spade spade is the best af-
ter you get used to it-cut hole nearly
through the sod that has been turned over.
) If the burrows lap, the cut should be near
the lower edge of the furrow, two and a
half feet apart Drop in the corn, and
step on the hill so as to close it up, OF
nearly so. Soon after planting say with.
in three days-harrow it the same way il
was plowed. The subsequent cultivation
is the same as Of drilled corn, on ole
ground, only that the cultivation is neces.
] sarily very shallow Do not attempt t
! hill up the corn, but keep the weeds dow
: and throw a little earth to the corn
This process is sure to produce crop oI
!. good solid corn.
Having thus insured the necessary sup
ply Of sound corn. would continue pioN
ing two or three inches deep, cut in the
J, corn in the same manner until-the-1 -15u
of June, unless the ground became yer,
dry. Do nothing with it after planting
y till it is ready to cut up. sit will MAKE
= good feed fer stock, and if the saason j
favorable it will yield much sound corn
I WHEAT on PRAIRIE SOD.
\ After enough corn has been planted
plow for wheat. If the weeds threaten
to take the wheat ground after blowing
and before seeding time, run harrow
> over it often enough to keep them man
d ageabIe, / should not replow for ,whea
only harrow it. Wheat does best her
when put in with drill. lay the fur
rows smooth tapping it. Then on har
rowing previous to drilling, the sod is no
disturbed. | have had but three years
> experience in raising wheat on new prai
rie. I have watched the corn on neV
prairie for nineteen seasons.
BREAKING PLOw AND TEAM.
A prairie plow is much more convent
ent when it is so constructed that the shar
can be taken off conveniently, and sent t
the shop to be sharpened, while with an
other share in its place, we continue I
plow. have three extra shares to m
: prairie plow, which saves the trouble Q
: sending to the shop often. A small bo
, takes the share and an extra coulter on
/. horse very easily, while another boy con
4 tinues to plow. Three horses abreast
o the best team to break with unless ma
'f has more boys than he has use for. /
that case, two yoke of oxen and drive
may be substituted for three horses, br
they will not do as much work as tn
horses. b. u.
TAMARoA, ILL.,, March 1853.