Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-09-24

pruning and training, there is some differ.
i ence OF opinion, but there are certain fixed
facts and laws to govern us by Aspeet-the
warmer the aspect the greater perfection
does the grape attain in the north, provided
| all other circumstances are alike; and if the
| greatest quantity of the suns rays shining on
/ the surface of wall, were alone to be con-
sidered as constituting the best aspect, there
would of course be no difficulty in naming a
due southern as better than any other. But
warmpth alone is not sufficient; shelter from
| the wind Is equally necessary. The best as
poets are those that range from the eastern
| to the southeastern, both inclusive. The next
best are those from southeast to south; but
| this depends somewhat on local peculiarities.
The natural soil, which is most congenial to
to the growth of the vine and TO the perfec-
| ton of its fruit in this country, is light po-
| roHs rich loan, not more than eighteen inch-
es deep, on a dry bottom of gravel stones
rocks. A strong argillaceous soil is injurious
to the vine; it checks the expansion of the
roots and retains too much moisture. In cal
eareOus soils the vine always dourishes, es-
pecially if the bottom be stony or gravelly.
| No subsOil can possess too great a quantity of
these materials for the root of the vine, which
run with eagerness into all the clefts, crew.
ces and openings, in which such subsoils
abound. In these dry and warm situations
the fibrous extremities pushing themselves
with the greatest avidity, and continually
branching out in every direction, lie secure
| from that excess of moisture, which frequent
| ly accumulates in more compact soils, and
| clinging like ivy round the porous surfaces of
| their retreats, extract therefrom a species
of foodmOre nourishing than can be obtained
| by them under any other circumstances what
ever. All borders, therefore, made express
| ly for the reception OF vines ought to be CON-
1 Of ifv IF DIR al,
| such as stones and brick bats, broken mode
rately small Jumps of old mortar-the scra-
pings obtained from the streets, or from any
| other high road kept in good state of repair
| by frequent addition of stones, and on which
there Is considerable travel of horses or cat
tie, is the very best compost that can be ad-
ded any border intended for the reception of
vines. Its component parts consisting chiefly
of sand, gravel, pulveriZed stones and the
resduum of dung, and urine, afford great
quantity of food, and of a richer and more
lasting nature than can be found in any other
description of compost that have ever seen
or heard of being used for that purpose. BOr-
ders in which vines are planted should never
be cropped nor dug deep.-ROckford Demo
crdt.
AUTUMN PLowING.-Farmers, we commend
| you to pillow all that is possible this autumn.
There are several reasons why this should be
done. We have had great drOuth, and that
| being followed by warm rains, has and will
produce an unusually large growth of herb
age, which will enrich the land if turned I'M
der while green. If suffered to ripen its
seeds, it will exhaust the soil, and seed it for
a great crop of weed next year. When you
pillow, do it as though you meant something.
Let it be ten inches deep at least, and then
you will get the benefit of frost, the great re-
finer of hard earth If you really cannot
SOW winter grain upon the land that you do
pillow, let it lay naked. But we assure you
that it would more than pay you for seeding
land that you intend to plant with corn next
| spring to put in rye. which you will turn I'M
der when foot high, making great manure
crop. 1t is also important to pillow every day
/ that it is possible to do so, before frost stops
you, because you do not know how short of
time and how costly labor will affect you
next spring, and it is your duty to prepare for
it now. One farmer says of his operations
this year of dear labor and drOuth: LAST
| season plOughed in the fall for all my spring
crops. This season, when ready to plant corn
and potatoes, 1 narrowed the ground thor
oughly and then rolled il. At this time l
have as good field of corn as any one would
wish to see, and the best have ever had. -
Better, probably, than he would have had if
he had waited till the spring to pillow the
4
| times the expense of blowing. That certain
ly was our experience in a piece of OATS
The best piece OF oats that we ever grew was
upon ground, deeply plowed in autumn, ma
nured in spring, and plowed with subsoil
pillow, as deep as it would run; then narrowed
| to stir the surface and mix the manure then
sowed, four bushels to the acre, and the seed
plowed in and surface dragged smooth with a
bush. We ask farmers to try this course the
present autumn.-M T. Tribune
THE BEST MANNER OF PLOUGHING WET
GROUND.-Since farmer cannot be expected
to drain the entire farm-especially when
laborers are scarce as they are at the present
time-it is very important to understand how
wet soils may be managed with reference to
winter ploughing, in order 70 be benefited
to a limited extent by fall ploughing. This
may be done by ploughing sach fields in mar
row lands, or back burrows, which is prac-
ticed 70 a great extent in many of the grain
growing regions of our State.
When field is ploughed in this manner it
is very important that the ridges and dead
burrows should run in such direction that
they will carry off the water that settles into
them. If the middle burrows run across the
slope, for example, the surplus water, instead
of being carried away in them, will percOlate
| from the burrows through the soil, and but
| little or no advantage will be perceived from
the ploughing. But if the ridges run up and
down the slope, and if the middle burrows be
cleaned out, great proportion of the sur
plus water will be carried away, and the frost
and rain will accomplish much towards thor
ough pulverizatiOn.
Such fields should be ploughed with the
| burrows running in such direction as to car
ry off the water to the best advantage, wheth-
er the direction is diagonal to the sides ofthe
field, or parallel with them; and if the mid
die burrows run across shallow valleys, where
the water will stand and percolate across the
| ridges, deep middle furrew should be cut
across the ridges and kept open, clean, by
throwing out all the loose earth with shovels,
at least six inches below the surface of the
subsOil. Labor bestowed in this manner at
any time between December and April, will
be well remunerated by large increase in
the amount of grain which will be produced
in those fields. The main consideration in
ploughing such wet fields is to make the
| lodges not more than twelve or sixteen feet
| apart; to cut narrow furrow slices and deep
| burrows, and make deep and clean middle fur
rows that viii carry off the water as fast as it
settles into them.-Coanatry Gentleman.
THE HARVEST IN EUPoPE.-The reports from
the principal agricultural districts in Eng
land, give favorable account of the harvest,
which is now being rapidly gathered in vari-
GUS parts of the country. The weather late
| ly has been highly propitious-
falls of rain followed by abundance of SUD-