, 1870-04-11
TEE FARM AND. GARDEN.

cook1NEs Food for Pigs and Shelter.
Ing oIsstock-Thc Fruit Crop-Work
for the 'Scn1on-The Farmers. all
Taking the Reins-A HcnanrknbIe
SfasemeurTomnt Cher
raes-IosEn Agricultural College
Feeding PlKs- -PlaAhin4 tho Osngc
Cooking E'ooh-F1T1u Horse Pesser
Another HvFcer Che1Ty-Tho APi.
cultur1st-Wessern FomoloxtAt.
tfaox ocR AGR1CrLTrEAI. co1HxsroNpEvLl
CuAsrA1ax, III, April 9.
ooouzo YooD 5uR F10a-
Within the past two dsys have had large
number Of letters, requesting samples Of graft
ing and Exceldor oats. Nearly Ill tho wEite1
have had something to say In regard to the
cooking OF food for pigs and ahaltar for Cur
stock. The time has now cmno when We MY
apply moro labor in these directions. With
cheap corn and dear labor, it would not pa!
to bod food for the pigs, nor to be
ut any great expenso TO shelter cur stock Now
that corn Ia Of yalne, and in order to get out
al thin value, ve can AFFORD to be 1t the az
pense Of boilers and e1tza labor. The old
tanners in this part Of the State used to sell
THAR com standing in tha field, At IS IN acre;
new the annual rant OF this same land is worth
three times that sum. Then tha cattle md
hogs He1e turned into this field to do their own
h1aking. Thia was, Of course, = verv wsstefpl
wsy but wssteful ~ it WAS, the farmer made
living and tho cAttle-feeders got rich. At
that time IT would not pay to hust the
corn. to SAT nothing about boiling or grinding
it. Beef It two cents pound On foot, and
pork dressed at three, and often less, would
Allow no margin vherewith to purchase u
farmers boiler OK to erect nice VAIN stables.
Then sack OF coffee, i bolt or two OF sheet
ing, barrel Of salt, and piece Of calico were
tho main items In the bill Of store-8oods; !;
those satisned tho ambition OF the farmers
family.
Nov, No can a6ord good corn-c1ibe, corn
hhel'en, wam pens and stables, and in most
eAses will dnd It profitable to cook and grind
or corn before No feed Il to tho pigs, Gown, or
fat cattle. Then, sgain, We have almost ig-
nosed tho valne Of potatoes, carrots, heets,
md food fos soihng. With com It fifteen to
twenty eents bushel, thesa have mail
vslne but when It is worth fifty 70 eighty
cents, theaa are Of real value a. substitutes,
Then, il eighty dollsrs' worth Of boiled com
will make a much pork a. one hundred fed
raw, It stAnda us in hand to $50 il ws can make
anything by the boiling il that costs ten dol
lars, va have ten dollars saved. Il, On the
other hand, the grinding Of eighty dollars
worth Of corn will make - much pork - ons
hundred unground, and that tho grinding can
be done for Are dollars, ~e have =
saving OF Is per cent. It Is not
probable that We aha1l get At these
things with mathematical e1&ctness, but We
- an, th.tv
tive value. With such improved boilen rs
arc now for ssle, 20 can tzy the experiment st
= emal cost. We now seldom rec corn crib
open to tho weather, and farmers everywhere
a1o taking better care OF their stock.
THK Fzu1r cBor+
From letters, and personM examinations, I
I'm satisfied that We now have moro than
usua1ly good prospect for ali kinda Of fruit.
Tho peaches have seldom been 10 promising 1t
this seaeon Of the year. In the south part Of
the State the show of blossoms ia most
abundant. At Alton the prospect is fair, bnt
not up TO tho standard but then this Is the
only dull spot in tho whole West for this fruit,
but even there, NTH good care, large crop
may be realized The winter hls been mild,
and the spring Is 80 late in opening, that VIC
may count on abundant crops with much more
than usual confidence
pREAK1zo FRA1R1E.
II. Z. s--Bur Oak, near Chataworth: You
may begin tzench-plowiuE your.praine n, 4 any
time-the sooner the better. have been to
work in this way for week. It matterss not
il the land Is vet; it does not appear to in1Q1o
1t for crop, to break mp either. ptAifa pr
meadow swazd in this manner, il wet, though,
Is evesy farmer knows who. has clay soil ! It
vii ruin old land to plowit in that condition.
II you can run your sod-plow, or your soggert,
ono and half inches deep, Ea6d ha>t1ench-
plow four inches deep, making not more thAu
si1 inches, you viii hAys the fnzzuw1tsAa they
should BE-. The farmeMwh6 told YOU that, the
turf would not rot wheR ploYed in this way, I
viii venture to Say, has never made the test,
but may have broken his prairie six. inches
deep with eingls plow, which is qdits another
thing.
To do this work tho bEsakqg plow must bc
long, 80 that the fuuor slieo Will turn over in
oas unhroken ribbon, while the trench p1ow
should have bold mou1d-board, in order to
throw the lover fu1row directly on top Of the
turf. Nearly all the present style Of sod plows
are too eho1t, and break the turf. This shorld
not be, 1ur whaL wu waut is Tho turf 10 lo in
the furruw. It will not be On smooth sur
face, for no trench plow throws all the earth
out square On to tho first futrow, hutSL is
broken up, and nearly = fourth part oikxhis
fills back into the furruw, condition HiAl
prevents the turf from resting on I smooth,
compact bottom, A. ia the c1se 10 thesturuiug
Of single furrow. This uuevennesa: at ithe
bottom anoWs Of air epacas under the fl1row,
md these destroy the turf above, And alsdFSiyo
good drainage. The loose earth thai Is
thrown out gires = good seed bed, and assists
to FIJI up the creEices between the edges Of the
tu1f, and thus Huoothens out the new growth,
The fact is. that in DO mode or seayon Of
pr1irie breaking Is there 30 rapid decom-
position rs In the sod TINS turned under.
The burrows should be about ono foot vide,
and this can be made with good team when
the soil is wet, but will 10 found hard work
when dry, In the summer three ho1ses should
bo used to each team. Farmers who begin
early, and who break also lAte in the season,
will seldom need to do summer break
ing. However much might de-
sire to extend my prairie OF
meadow breaking, not foot OF it should be
Moken with Ringle furruw. The reasons fo1
this mode Of breaking have been given nj
length in this correspondence, and need not be
repeated. To Ill new beginners, would say
sec that your rlow Lay il both thin and sharp,
and that the rolling coulter is in perfect order,
WORE FOE THE SEASON.
We are sometimes asked why VIC do not givt
. List OF hints Of tho work to be done for the
season, from week 10 week. In the carly dayt
Of agricultural journals, when their circllla
ton scarcely extended over degree OF 1ati
tude, such thing WAS possible; now. with sht
aid Of steam, the newspapers have na,iona
circulation. md such plan is OF no pa1ticul&
value. Then agriculture. like medicine "a,
taught by formulas: for fever sblecd, Civ.
calomel and jalAp, and esehew cold water
"In farming plow deep, while sluggartIs aleep.'
sance then men have been studying thcla~a d
nature, and treat both the fever patient ant
the farm on more rational principles, aud il
this they have met with eminent success bu
thereis get = wide margin to 50 over tha
needs looking after. The duty Of the agri
cultural press il to teach the scisncs OF agricul
ture, and thus lay down rules that will 10 q
value in Ill parts OF the country when the con
ditions are similar.
The preparation Of clay soils is ve1y nearl,
tho Same in Minnesota ~ in Mississippi: Ii,
breaking OF prairie in Texas and Wisconsin
come under the game general laws Th
deep tllAge Of the clay eoils Of NicAi
gan and Of Georgia are alike essential
The top-dresziug With artificial and ba1uya.,
1n2nurcs has the sa1ne valuc in Iowa as i,
Maine. Bat wien NC come to the speciat re
qui1ements OF the several crops. We must e.
vr1,+3% %rpt1a {n-r