, 1865-03-29
3ira9o @rit>n,re.
TIE FARM AND GARDEN.
A Look from the Ridge Roard-Hovv
Wheat In SuWu.
Letter from RuraI.l
T3AMrtrCr nj kFan,

rated. md activity Is seen in ali department.
ofru'nl economy but the different modes
which the same work is done forms them
for study.
SOWING OF sPR1SG WuEAr.-To itlust,at
the above, suppose, dear reader, that you IN
me Just climb yonder ladder and seat ou,
selves On the ridge Of the bata. Now tax
that glass and look over into Mr. Smith
wheat field and see what he Is doing. 40
yonder side Of the field are two teams attach
ed to sulky cultirators, and stirring up th
ground at 8 rapid .ate. Mr.. Smiths bo
John, who is fifteen ,nnd who CAME home foE
college last Teek, is driving one of the team:
and-and Mary, his sister, two year
older, is driving the other" 70
will recollect that Henry, who usual
dives that team, and who has worked for Iii
Smith the past TWO years, went down las
week to see his soldier brother who cam
be idle and no one ut home to drive 1t, Mar,
volunteered to drive for the week. Just Sc
how deft1y Rhe handles the bays. and hos
straight lay the small furrows behind her.
wish to call your attention to the tact tha
one OF these cultivators has FIVE shoyels an,
makes i've small forrows, giving it the ap
1
width Of land, making the furrows trid
larger. It is not well settled which Of thes
| widths will prove tho best but probabl,
will result in favor Of tue FIVE shoyels. 70;
will also observe that this field was in corr
last year, aud that the stalks have beer
hence the surface Is free Of trash, and tlao wort
can be, and is done in the most admirable
! manner.
Can Jon tell me how many acres thes,
two teams T1ll prepare in day ~ Aboui
eight each. They will work the cQltivator;
view Of the aftcrnoon's work. In the moan
| time We can talk over this new mode Of cul
| ture and consider Its advantages.
In the drat place, the culture Of the corn
crop acted like summer fallow, and hence
| required no further deep tilage, as 1t Is fully
derated AID the various elements Of plant
growth ready for the seed. " But--but deep
p'owing you forget that to 'plow deep while
| slugga'ds Sleep is an oldaud true adase that
should not be forgotten"
| This land nsighbor Smith plowed very deep
the autumn before the corn was planted, and
depth Of foot, and the turning up Of the
cold soil In clamy condition at this time
would lock up its fertility, and the sickly crop
| would be prey to the chinch bug and rust,
1 It is now time to ascend the ladder und
take another look at nefghbor Smiths opera.
l
''John is coming into the field in a two.
! horse wagon, in which Is a harrow and sever
al bags Of grain. His father Is with him,
having curious kind of machine strapped
! en- his left side, to which is attachcd sort
OF eack that passes over his shoulder; and
Mary is driving IN iron roller, on which she
| rides"
Now observe Mr.. Smith, who il filling the
sack with a bushel and half Of wheat. The
| field is eighty rUds wide. and q strip tworods
wide will make an acre, just what Mr.. s. will
sow at one bout vi fth his hand sower.' He is
now ready to start, and you will observe that
he now br9nsa tie machine In front Of him.
With bis right hlnd he grasps small crank,
and with the left holds the seed valve that
regulates the amount Of seed to be sowu,
The seed falls on revolving fans, which scat
| ter it evenly on the ground to the width Of a
| rod. H.. will travel half mile to SOW IN
acre, and to SOW the eight acres that was
passed IN the forenoon will require four miles
81 travel. This, including stoppages to refill
the sack, will take him ABOUT TWO hours and
| half. Add the time spent in going to and
returning from the field, and he will have
couple Of hours left to work In the garden.
or, which is more probable, Mr. Smith will
read the news, as Ills mail comes home about
O'Clock, aud he USUALLY looks over the daily
and his agricultural journals, so as to keep
we'll posted up in the news Of the day aud
the new discoveries in farming and farm i'm
plements.
John is hitching his team to the harrow.
which you will See is In the shape Of two let
t:r ~, one within the other, aud Is just
trash, he goes right along, ]ereIing the tiny
tur1oTe and throwing large proportion Of
the seed into them. Mary follows with the
roller, whichsyou see Is also eight feet wide
and as 1t Is made In ehort sections, is handled
almost as easily as wagon. You will fur
lhgr observe that the seat is about foot wide
and Of the length Of the roller. You see she
sits on one end, 80 as to guide the team to
the line Of fu1Tows, and On the return
changes to the other end, 80 as 10 drive to
the line Of rolled land.
"Bsautif9i, isn't it, tho surfaces 50 smooth.
commluuted. I have never seen such niceiv
seeded field before; it is like an onion bed,
20 smooth and level. Mr. 8. must hnye
splendid crop Why do not all farmers nre-
psre their land in this Why, Here is eight
acres prepared, sowed, narrowed and rolled
Tlth Two teams, two Youthful drivers, with
the aid Of one man, some three hours. Why
ths two teams could not have plowed more
thap half that amount; and John would have
come home at night with his boots mud TO
his knees, and nearly tired out. Mary, YES.
Mary would hare staid in the house, and the.
Team nave been idle In the stable. Two acres
would have been plowed unless Mr.. S. had
taken the lines himself; well, well, here is
Ig progress truly, as you say, farming scsN
!. Mr. Smith Is not what is called h,rd-work.
ing man, but he ia around looking after things
and planning his work, taking hold at times
as required bis crops are always good, and
he l., as you sec By glance over his fields
and buildings, IN prosperous condition.
You Will now turn Four ElaEs to the next
farm, owned by Neiehbor Tcsty. i.
Mr. Testy and his son James are plowipg
among the corn stalks, and In turning over the
f11rrow see light fringe Of corn litter. The
teams appear to labor Inrier than those Of
Mr.. Smith. The ground Is muddy, and the
men work with 1abored effort.'
h1r. 7. always feeds his stalk field, that Is
he makes Writer pasture Of 1t. The stalks
are partly fed of, 50 that the remainder can
be ptortd under; but his stock have SO poach-
The p1oW run hard, and the furrow turns up |
!umpy and rough, while tue coru-stalk haif ]
buried stick ont to clog the harrow. He will |
SOW this land to wheat, harrow but not roll !
i, as he believes the roller packs the soil and !
1amsgcs the crop. OF course be will SOW 1t by
Ind soEing about ten acres a day. H.. T.
5 very hard working man, who can never
ind time to read the papers. Last Year Ee
sare him The years subscription tQrthe--
n agricultural paper, but on visit we found
he leaves uncut. Mr. T. thanked us for the
|
'outd not find time to read 1t.
Cannot this man secanything. Can he not
ec his neiehbor's field and note his SUCCESS,
nd profit therebyn'
Mr. Tcsty was born and brought up a
armcr, and thinks he knows how the thing
$ done. On the other hand, Nj. s. is book
armcr, and has spent part Of his life III the
ity, and Of course brought some Of his city
abits to The 1arra. John attends college in
inter, and Mary has piano. The tastes
nd habits Of the two men arc unlike. One !
'as born a farmer, and trimmed up one by his
athcr, who was successful farmer under the
Id laborions fashion: while Mr.. 8. brought
improvements in the culture Of the soil.
You may have observed That James had a
heel coultcr on his plow, and that lis tur-
DW was the straighest and best turned Of the
wo- During the past winter James has
aade sundry yisits to the house Of Mr.. S.,
nd peihap ~ wei, eH UTE of iste ee0 Ie has h @ speat
sse!a! evenings in company with John. and
Ect1fng new ideas or economy In labor, and
~ ls! eFe9tne ne came to borrow fruit book,
= - y w" 70 mahe selection Of trees fol
- otsna.o' Tor you can see no orchard on Mr..
NJ Mr.,I. IS an honest, hard-workinc man. md :
Atno ne!fapos, but areEse to any Of what | :
Ni1ns 1Ae neW-fangled notions. His son /.
d!4cs a.1 VIII yet make farmer, for We have
Ice. @ "oAu sooo ao-
1nrn Soa5 glass TO the farm of Mr.. Solid {
oa you "ul pee him sowing wheat with = l
min drill; The land was In corn last ~" vear =
Id good cropit vas. The com wns cnt a.,
ose to the ground, hauled to the yard. AK b
t up in shock to cure, the land plow1d W At
zee with new cast,steel plow, ii the most I
|nirable mannerfot.. Ar. Solid does no !,
am work. The c1am1ny condition Of the i
rtace does not allow the drill TO work well. T
d besides, the old corn bills are In the way,
=, with the most perseTering industry, Nj. !
LID clears of the drill teeth and makes it +
,rk to the best possible advantage; but, =