Nebraska advertiser., 1862-04-10
For the Nebraska Farmer ]
A Hint TO Farmers On the High
Prairie.

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Prairie.
We, who are living on the high prai-
ries, Missouri. Kansas and Nebraska,
will, no doubt, be always liable to ex-
tremes in weather, and sudden changes
of temperature. This naturally results
from our position. We must expect
sometimes too much rain, aHa sometimes
too little; sometimes too much hot, dry
weather, and sometimes TOO strong north
west wind ID JaneaFy sometimes b Warm
.I7ahrnafy ehich .ndeces ifees g bad
premainrely, and someenss hard frost
IN April or May, blasting the prospects
for fruit that year at least. We suppose
that many, like the writer, were not
brought up to this; and yet, if we act the
part of intelligent men, we must prepare
for these extremes. An evil fairly looked
at, is half overcome.
The drouth of go taught many les
son. Some who came here in '56 and
'57, and paid 81 to 81 so per bushel for
corn, and in '59 just beginning to harvest
corn of their own, must take Is cts. per
bushel or nothing, left their corn in the
field to be devoured by their cattle at
leisure. And who wonders And yet
these same helped to swell the great
exodus Eastward in the summer of go,
or else remained to become the recipi-
ents of Eastern charity, and eat of i'm
ported corn! Some of as gathered our
corn, and finding so little offered for it,
let it lay, as scarcely worth marketing =
When the winter of 80 came, we knew
tUhdt we had been SaUing oar corn for!
We are of the opinion that if we do
have drouth now and then, our country
will Average as well as others, and better
than nany, if not most. Let the years of
plenty see the store-houses filled, that
the years of scarcity may be provided for.
We do not expect another drouth like
that in many years, at least; but let US
be prepared. "The wise man foreseeth
the evil, and hideth himself; but the
simple pass on and are punished y
We believe that by suitably guarding
agaiazs thess- extremes Of climate, and
conducting our operations in view Of
them, we can raise almost any thing we
please. On the other hand, if we labor
without the contingency in view, we may
sometimes lose our whole seasons labor,
and seed. Admitting this to be only an
occasional contingency, it is worth guard
against But the extremes do come IN
greater or less proportions eUsry yedr.-
They are inherent to this locality; and
the land seems to be fitted to endure
them. We have seen in the Eastern
States trees die out, root and branch,
during the drouth Of few weeks, which
here will not even ruin the corn crop.
And, besides, we believe an All Wise
Providence has not made so beautiful
country as this, with such an eviI inher-
ent, without also giving his intelligent
creatures judgment by which they can
sufficiently guard against it. The case
of corn has been cited as admitting of
relief by "keeping over" if necessary.
The same is equally true of all the cers-
ais, and of we'll cured grapes. But of
potatoes and fruit, this is not true But
fruit may be probably dried and should
be when so plenty as TO be unsaleable.-
1t may then be kept if necessary. And
how about potatoes7 have observed
this of Kansas: that the heat of midsum-
mer is frequently prejudlcial to their
growth. A late planted crop, from June
to July, or very early March, has with
me been more successful than one planted
ia the last Of April or first Of May
Even in go, / raised some good potatoes
of the earliest and latest planted, while
theaintermediate planting failed entirely,
We have no fears Gudgiug from five
years experienced here, that we can
not raise our own potatoes eUeTy gear
The above is not written TO induce farm
ers to retain their crops year before dis
posing of them. but only to discourage
them from "selling themselves short"
before they have a seasonable probability
of another plentiful crop.
All of US have noticed the scanty i'm
mature vegetation in shallow soils, with
hardpan or rock underneath. where the
roots were denied the chance of striking
downward for allment. The observance
of this fact should teach US especially the
necessity of "plOwing deep, while others
sleep, if we would have corn to sell or
keep" Flowing deep is the best safe
guard alike against extremes Of food or
drouth.
We have also noticed that the fastest
growers are neither the hardest nor the
most productive tree; and this should
admonish us so to train our fruit trees, in
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