Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-07-04


soms.mode Of breasing and pulverizine
the soil which shall at once be more per
feet and less expensive, than the usua|
way, Of performing that labor. with the i'm
plements hitherto in use. Early writers
upon Agriculture recommended the spade
and we have been treated to many disser.
ta,ions upon "spade husbaudry' as tbs
perfection Of tllage.
We suppose all will agree that the
spade does the work more perfectly than
the plow, especially when welded by a
skilful workman; but the difficulty attend
ing the process has been that it was too
expensive-"cost more than it comes to. ~
So true has this beer. that from the days
ofJetheie Full donw to the present, spade
husbandry has been eon6nd to small ex.
periments-to gardens where the larger
and ruder implements cannot convenient.
ly be used, and to the cultivation of choice
patches Of ground whore expense is not
taken into the account.
Several attempts have baen made to in
tsoduee machines, for digging or spadiny
the soil, which shall combine effectiveness
Of working with simplicity of operations
aud economy in expense. Like most i'm.
provements Of the kind, these early ex.
periments have not generally been success
ipL, 1t was not to be expected that they
would be entirely so, and we regard it as
a step:n the right direction, that machines
have been constructed which give fair in
dieations of ultimate success. d.
Our hopes in regard to this new mode
ofeu'tivaton have been somewhat strength.
ened by the perusal of an account in the
Prairie Farmer Of an experiment made in
Cornville. La Sale County, ILL.,, the
present season. The experiment was with
"Comstoch's rotary Spader' no relation
we suspect t.. the Comstocks of the Argus
do not helons.to the inrentice order, ! and
judging from the report before us, we
should think the machine has, to say the
least, made good beginning We copy
material parts Of the letter Of Mr.. Barnes
to the Prairie Farmer:
y. has been my good fortune, it seems,
to have The opportunity, Of buying the
trst one offered for sale. Ny corn stub
BILE being all plowei when Mr. c. arrived
with saader, except strip OF seyen
acres, then too wet to plow, I, Of course,
did not feel like buying at the time
But NJ C left il On trial, as clock ped.
oilers used to leave their clocks. and to-
day | have tried it. Hisching on four
horses at 8 LIZ M, started, making a
circuit around one end of the piece about
one third of ri the ground was in fine
condition, the stalks having been raked
and burned, and it worked beautifully
The horses walked at an eaay gate, and
in short time, with my three feet swath,
the piece was soon spaded and at the
end Of three hours IL, IL O'clock had
made couple of rounds on the balahce.--
At Ia NJ, started again, and at GA
ocock,, finished serca acres in seren hours,
eight inches deep. ~~ases -a.>.
We append as an important addition to
the above statement, the remarks Of a.
gentleman who Witnessed the trial, and
his view of the matter to the
Farmer:
"The trial took place on the farm of ].
b. Barnes, Esq, Cornville, Illinois The
land was well adapted to the purpose Of
testing the machine, being part slough,
With patches Of blue grass. Mr.. Comstock
makes no pretension of working in sod,
still it is we'll to see wha: it will do in any
place. Corn grew on the dry portion last
season, the stalks Of which had, previous
to the trial been dragged iuto piles and
burned. With the exception of the blue
grass, the work was, performed in salts.
factory manner on both dry and wet land.
The weeds we're covered eqnal to ordinary
Flowing and immediately narrowed. i
seFonrhor were attached to the ma.
'hine,. which apadsd seven acres, eight
inches deep, in seven hours. 1t is not
iaaoriaus for the team. The
and ,wss better pnlVsrized than . pillow |
'oxh have done il, especial, in slough
Mr.. Comstock should be congratulated |
upon his success" ,~s .~., ~.
The above certainly looks like a good
MEASURE Of success, and we shall be glad /
o lsarn more Of the operation of this new
machine, when it shall have been more
'aIl5 Tested. 1-1@.s., rma@. f
! One draw back to the spading or
1igging operation, must be the difficulty
# working on stony aud rough lands
Precisely where such work would be most
it will be most difficult OF &C.
'omplishment. Future experiments may
'byiate this difficulty.
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