Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-04-29
INTERESTING to farmers.
HOW TO DO 1T!
GOLD FIELDS OF ILLINOIS.
BUT MY OWN BUSINESS

BY JACOB sTRAwN, OF MORGAN CO.; ILL.
There has been continual complaint
of hard times. Good people, if you will
take my advice | do believe we will have
easy times in less than i've years. am
afraid it will take three years of close
attention to business and good economy
with it to get out of debt. Ifeel certain
there is gold enough within less than
one foot of the top of the earth to pay
ten times as much as we all owe, and
please one and all. Pay strict attention
and 1 will tell you how to find it. In
the first place, when you go to town get
everything you want, so that you need
90 no more than once in two months
Get your frewood forthwith cut and
split it up ready to use In the next
place, see that you have plenty of flour,
meal and meat to hold out till after har-
vest. Next, see that your plows, hoes,
harrows, and all your tools are in good
repair. Have place for all your tools,
and every tool in its place.
Everything about farming, driving
stock, fattening cattle, and raising horses
and hogs, and almost everything about
my whole business l have learned by ex-
perience. feel so certain that there is
such large amount of gold in the soil,
that am anxious that all should try and
find it.
Make it universal rule to 20 to bed
at 7 o'clock, from the first of October
to the first of April, and be up at
o'clock, winter and summer. Whenever
you awake in the night, do not lie in the
bed awake. Instead of lying and rolling
over, roll out and get at something that
wants to be done. Get done eating be-
fore six o'clock, winter and summer.
Commence blowing for corn as soon as
the frost is fairly out of the ground in
March. Plow two inches deeper than
you ever plowed before. Get ready to
plant it as soon as you can. The first
warm days in April commence planting
and stick close to it until you are done.
Commence blowing your corn when it is
not more than three inches high, or as
soon as the weeds begin to start Plow
it as often as you can. Plow close Il
your corn. When your corn gets large
enough to bear it. plow it deep, especial.
ly the last blowing. Commence cutting
your grass before the seed gifts fairly ripe,
if you have much to cut. When you
begin, do not let it have but one dew
Rake and cock it in good sized cocks, SC
that pert boy can keep up with stout
man pitching. If tlooks like rain when
you roll up half cock, get on it with
all your weight and give yourself good
shake. Then run your fork about five
feet from the cock and turn it in the
cock. Do not pat it with your fork
that is losing time. Remember "time
is money" Go as far from your cock
as ever you intend to get hay enough to
finish it. Put it right on. Just before
you finish the cock, spring upon it and
tread it two seconds more. Then you
may haul it with grape vine or rope,
whichever you may have. Forthwith
Se~NN ~ 80 SNNH ~ JS0 WIN Nv II JOu
are afraid it is too green sprinkle little
salt upon the stack, every two or three
cocks. The greener it is the more salt il
requires. If there is no appearance Of
rain, cock il up as soon as it will do
Then if you do not stack it until next
morning, there is no need Of treading it..
Do not let it stand in the cock more than
one night until you stack it. Take no
pains in dressing your cocks; you can
cock it up rough and stack it nearly as
soon as you can cock 1t we'll ! think it
is very poor policy to cock hay and let it
stand until the bottom and all The outside
is weatherbeaten. You waste half Of
your hay and it is still TO be sacked
Put one stack in a place and right in the
centre of your cocks. II will enable you
to get it stacked great deal sooner.
Fence your stacks we'll so thatyour stock
cannot taste your hay. In feeding out,
do not leave hay within forty feet Of the