, 1869-07-21

A Chat With settlcr1 on our Home O.
Greud LnnlE- Prairie MroAktnE-
Laying out. Too Mnch. work-
Hedging and General management
The Orchard nnd Shelter Belts.
tTEoM oCR AlRlcVLTu1AL CORRESPONDENT
CHAMPAIGN, III. July 70.
AcHlT WITT TIE F1pSEERa
Within the past two seara have received at
least two hundred letters from this clasa. Of our
rurai population, most Of which hare had pr1Tato
nuswcrA Iw1u go over some Of those subjects
that 1te Of more general interest, TO HaTe me the
labor Of 80 much private correspondence As
general thing this class OF correspondents have
enclosed directed, prepaid envelope, md their
inquiries have been brief and to the point.
rRAIRIR BnZAK1Nd
Is one Of the subjects that has required nu-
fnerous letters, ann Ia the great ques-
ton OF the pioneer. After more than
thirty years. experience IN opening md managing
OF pr1y1te fatr1s, In the north and central por.
TOES Of tue Stale, having also seen much OF 1t
in nearly all paris OF the Northwest, were to
open new fatm, the COURSE 10 be pursued would
he most decided change on the common prac-
sice. hare been pursuing this new course for
the past half dozen years with the most decided
Euccesa7 aud believe that It'd general application
would save large SUMS 70 that class Of our
Pioneers who settle on '' Homestead laudA." As q
general thing this class Of settlers hare no great
et,s,'ara tha,r rasor,ras 1rstcsd ~ rnar,ne a
cnn tho nrat eeason a. thev shoo1A do II {, enent
IN n,.nornttnn ana IN case of n natt1at fatipre.
,he ncneer !, nnt tn his utro,t 10 hrdrr oyer IN.
III some favorable rcsnlta ETC reached Few OF
these Iarmer1 have credit or RESOURCES to draw
on, In Ills emergency, and the resnlt Is often very
unfortunate.
LAYING OCT TOO MECH munk.
We VII suppose that the pioneer reaches his
homestead II the nrsi day OF May. 1t may be In
kanHas. SebfosEa OF Da1ota- he camps On hh
new farm that is Innocent OF the n1st Improve
ment Tor housekeeping. los-hoese Is tne nfst
thlhe, ana <ne next 10 "chop II anew ae3es o1
scd coFn Oh which to iced bis teams, and then the
great business Of the summer ls to break up his
prairie. The hot weather comes on, aud his grass
led norses wilt under Its influence, and no great
ampunt Of breaking Is done In his desperation,
he rays out his few remaining dolla1z, at four OK
I'VE dollars an acre, to hare the work done, for he
Ia told by Ill the old pioneers that prairie Is all the
better for being broken with big tsarn, and thst
1t mrst be done in July and August, to insure tho
rotsing of the sod. This Is the history Of nearly
all our Western settlers, whether rrom the older
States OF from Europe-a practice that hss donc
more. damage to the Wee. than nluost any o:hes
cause.
we Will now no,nt ont a change. and see II II
viii not produce better results. 6upposing that
the pioneer has bu. tho single span OF hoEEes that
have haulcd his family and houschold goods be-
yond the bornds oi the more dense settlements
In company with Others, hSes himself, seeking
a new home Each Is busy with his own adalss,
and hiring Labor Ii out OF the question: Is ING
f1st day OF Nay, aod tue PralHcs, II MI tnell
wealth Of soil, lay Emllnc under the genial Ek1es.
IN 1rfr%r 3rf
~ 49," Wy sne44 ..@~. .s' -. A., @ s.as ~, ,.S
Eou coin Is tae pte.os.ous c,op Mss eaa on' 70
rlan'ea IN tuls conaltloh- lou pto" oeep tee
soo WI. never tu1, ~ eaye IlAu,e Is oias'e- Nh,
.ns utsl mug sss 'e asua - ~. ~ osess ~. .ns
1a.', - " ,.a. ~ f.o"s 49,
~ ~, ,o 1ee ae ..,s 49,, t.sa-.,
-. Ch,na-a 49, .N ~. W.,,s C,r.sr NV or, ~ w.
-a3t, ~ w. ,N., I'M ~ ,,st ,ha ,h,n, IN
sa,e.e ~ $3.50 .,o. T., ~. - " ~
1o,o" 49, P''" - 80 49,
anu tHlo" Ia9ee, loul Vt nto nacpes
OF the suosoi1 oHecll VI tao ilooon
OF Iur1 80 smoo'hIg tulneu owe!
~ tae 4one, "case-!'Ac' oeeaA..s PUN 1Ae neAt
inpis!Aep' - tua noioh. ni'u tne nv HoHe
auu lue nnlo" tae eauktan' - lc1tus " pat IL ~
clep. ne la1s W. US iaaas .out lous N11G, ano,
commencing .. tae ceh.sc' pacA las7o"A' nls hfst
sonnn ~ HNA .ne ntt4A"s pun rneu w suapses
70 nc oio iA,a VI lteneu ploH.-ot possloiy SUNG
= -
n'n' anu NUS save Inc ttouoe aau tspol OF
Changing flo"s u eFe!J ooot' II t no m3ttef
how thin ribbon Of turf fA cut, It shonld not be
more than tTo and half inches tn!cl, but Should
be turned over Cat, In one continuous roll, In or
der tEat the subsoll nay be thrown directly on It.
Tc!s nay bc three, four, OF dTc Inches, according
10 the strength OF the team II the land Is heavy
clny loan. The team Will md It hard work at three
inches; generally put three horses to the sr,all
YIr FTtxnf fofSH In
this manner. There Is one adsantagc In this
mode OF poNing; II the Eon Is wet 1t docs
not appear to tnjure It Tho Last Of
April l prepared several acres IN this
Suy for corn planted early In May,
and thc cron Ia now yerF due. AZ the time Of
breaking this tan1} the blowing Of old lan WAS out
Of the question, and she teams would have been
t11e the wuter stood IN the furrows, but the tn.f
sctcd as i drain AND In few days the land Was
In condition to harrow and plant, and has been
ready to work with culuraior Immediately after
our heavy ralna; has been worked three and,
some of II. tour times. the saue as the old land.
md viii produce counlly we'll psft Of this land
had reyer lynn nastrrrtI. Init was fenced 1nto a
or1d nom which stock ~ been cxc,nncl nnd ia
What re term raw nra,,,a-
The hstroT fo1,oTs tro or three days after tho
furroHs havc bern cxnosed tn the s,,n ent nj.
and II ia thnn n.anted This .nusf bc douo snat
lor. mt covering tn exceed ouc ,nrh. Inst te-
fore ite cnn IA throuch I'm soil rnnther harrow
tuR Il yery usefuL Ate, this tho crop Is 10 be
treated me came AZ o1d land md VIII uroduca AZ
rood cnon Z
1.te.,na thar that tne n,one-v has mt II, hrt
ba,t .. n,.nr ~ ~ ,t1IaE,n,, tn,a n,,n hnt
.sasa ~ .1 ,.n IT,, ~ cno, M h,s
,.rs ~, y. ~ 80 snncro, or,e, roF ma ne1t
se,.o, ~ ~ ,ss e.,h NJ Nav h. n.s mt n on,v
r,,.oa ..-os ~, ~. rtta,, .r,a. ui,t nro1rra
n,m s,- ~ etoh+ hnndrc.. bntnp1s cnod cnrn-
ocn,,st tta nnren,,ntr or two brshfis nf "nuh.
htns ~, +na - II thc arr NJ tWent1 ~ twentr
nyc ,rres Of sod 1ana. chopped in or dropped In
.he rntrnrr
Auer ,hr rorn Ia IN. nore land NAV be brpten