The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1862-02-13
For the S q. {: 2. Union.
" sIS y z Dn.On-
Timely Suggestions for Farmers.

| Timely Suggestions for Farmers.
DEAR UNION: With your permission,
will make few more suggestions about
Agriculture. In the Eastern States, sew
cral Agricultural papers are published, and
every farmer would do well to take one Of
them. He will obtain some useful hints
from them. Sill it cannot be denied tina,
most Of their Communications lave nc
specia! application to Kansas. Our soil and
climate are somewhat peculiar, and hence
we must learn more from experience than
from observation. Every farmer should
consider himself an experimen,er. lie
should cndeavor to ada sometlin. to the
common stock of Agricultural knowledg re.
He has very fair opportunity of display
ing all his skill in bringing out the resources
of the soil. 1t has bceh remarked by some
one-Iorace Greely, | think-that prob
ably hereafter, more discoveries will be
made in the science Of Agriculture than in
any other science. Here is certainly a
wide field for the display of the best and
most productive talent Of the country and
this truth has as much application to Kan
sas as to any other part of our widely
extended domain.
In this State, we have two things special
ly to guard against-drough; and wind
Oar climate is a very dry one; the fact
is acknowledgements we may account for
Il. We probably shall not often suffer
from this cause as we did year ago, the
past summer. We know, too, that the sol!
will endure without serious injury to the
crops, such drought as would nearly de-
stroy vegetation in the Eastern States
Sill we may expect to suffer more or lsss
from the want of rain. Hence it is wisdom,
so far as We can, to adopt such course Of
husbandry as will not be materially affected
by drought. In this connection, the qGes-
ton arises, is deep or shallow blowing the
most advantageous? And further, what
kinds of grain will suffer the least from
drought, and at what time it is advisable to
plant the various kinds of grain that are
cultivated? l ask these questions that the
attention Of farmers may be directed to
them, and hope in due time, they will
give US the result of their experience.
1t is we'll known that some kinds Of grain
require more moisture than others. Thus
rice is sown in the mud, and grows much
of the time under water. But in the same
tropical climate, where rice comes to matur-
ity in the rainy season, or by means Of
artificial irrigation, other kinds Of grain
will grow in the dry season. l have seen
very good yield where little or no rain fell
from the time the seed was put in the
ground, unit. the joyful reaper sung his
/" harvest home"
The winds OF Kansas are too we'll known
to need any description. Both man and
beast need to be protected against tLcm.-
They often DO much injury to the grain,
and especially to the corn, by prostrating il
on the ground. Has blowing anything to
do with it? [ remember to have read that
a prominent farmer in Illinois, objected to
deep blowing, because he had learned from
experience, that corn planted on such
ground was much moro easily overturned
by the wind. In order that the stalk may
stand firm, he maintained that the roots
must extend down into the compact earth
In relation to fruit and other trees, think
one thing is plain, We must allow them to
grow very much as nature directs, and not
endeayor to make them run up tall. Tell
trees, perhaps, may be the most beautiful.
but certainly they arc not the most secure.
la Illinois, where the winds are not as
powerful as they are here, it has been found
that apple trees, which have been trimmed
according to the New England fashion,
have been materially injured and sometimes
entirely destroyed, by being swayed to and
fro until the roots have been started out OF
their places. In this land of winds every
thing should carefully maintain lowly
condition. Tall eastern flowers, when
transplantcd to Kansas soil, dare not lif,
their heads very high.
But | will change the programme a
little, and mention fact about seed wheat.
The past spring, some Of my neighbors
sowed wheat which had been raised on one
piece of ground. At the harvest, some of
it was quite smutty, and some of it was
not. Upon inquiry it was found that in
every case where the seed had been washed.
there was no smut. and where the seed had
not been washed there was smut. In one
case the washed and unwashed seed was
sown side by side, and the result was what
| have stated. [ mention the fact without
attempting to account for it. ". I.
u.s. The Pottawattomie payment was
mn