Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-10-27

Cept1OO OF hpphIcuuN uhNVnub dh buO
time up bill and never reaching the top.
Now, II you are going west alone, or
only with your family, and your location
Is 10 be 90 one of these prairies, where
there are few settlers, and perhaps none
at all within sight,yo will'have rather a
lonesome time OF II at first Looking |
over the prairie perhaps you may dis
cover b bere and there what looks like q
little block island in the great sea OF
green. Tbese are the "bTeakipgs" Of
tne coming settlers-those who are 10
be your future neighbors, andfwho have
been out themselves or sent ard had
some sod broken on their "claims" go as
TO be ready Tor cultivation when they
arrive with their families. Where
this can be doDe It is always
great help, and l advise 1t
whenever IL is Impossible.
do not recommend any family, how.
ever, thus to go alone and setde. lar
away from any neighbors. II a man
makes up his mind that 1t Is better for
him to go west, 1t is generally easy Tor
htm to find a few friends or acquaint'
ances who are going. Let them agree
upon some locality and all go together
Thus they secure neighbors from tho
start, and besides avoiding the lonesome
ness aud bomesckness almost certain to
attack those who go alone, they may be
of very great assistance TO each other IN
many ways.
This description ss said IN the start,
IS only general, but it will, think, give
my readers some idea OF how things look
to the settler when he first arrives at his
new home. e-
Having arrived there, the first thing is
| to get some sort OF shelter. II IL is time
TO commence breaking, every hour should
be improved; as the cold weather will
be over, any kind OF temporary shelter
should be made to answer until the sea-
Bon for breaking is past, for every acre
| broken in proper season will be
| for cultivation the next year in any hind
of crop desired, and time lost the first
season throws the settler back just one
year in bringing bis land under cultiva~
! lion. A board shanty that can be cons
st1ucttd in day or two, ought to be
made to answer the purpose until the
season for breaking is over. During that
season the plow should, II possible, be
kept running six full days every week.
Thus with one good team a man ought
to break from nifty to sixty acres the first
season.
If he has no help. he will have to stop
long enough TO do his planting, but THIS
is done pretty rapidly, and need not take
much time. II be has q couple of stout
boys, they can plant while be keeps the
plow running, and thus none of the valu
Bile breaking season will be lest.
The manner of planting corn on, OF
rather in or under sod will surprise many
eastern farmers. Sometimes boy toll
lows the plow about every fourth iuIroW
and drops the seed corn, three or foul
grains together in the furrow. Tben wher
the plow comes along agsin, the 500
IS turned right over on this and there il
is left. You would not think it possible
for the corn to work lis way up through
this tough sod that has taken perhaps
three ,stOut horses TO turn over; but i
does-st least enough of 1t to make :
pretty good showing. A much bette
| plan is 10 plant the corn in the sod afte
It has been turned over. There is a small
hand machine for doing this which cost
rom four to six doll .Ts, but it is oteI
done with hatcbet. A man or boz
, goes along, strises the hatchet int
the sod, DIR rops the corn into the openin!
thus made and presses the earth togethe
| again with his foot. Generally no oul
3 livation is given to sod corn. It canno
q be plowed or even narrowed, for the so,
would be turnt over and thus the corr
DESTROYED; but it may be helped coDsid
: ersbly by little boeipg. People in tn
e west don't generally expect much OF
q crop from this sod corr ,but / have seen
great deal of it that would yield froI
: thirty to forty bushes per acre The
sgain have seen many fields that woul
9 not yield more than five or ten bushel:
;. A good garden should be commence
IS early in the season as the weather vi
Il permit. Potatoes should also be plante
C and iair crop may generally be ccun
ed on the first year. Bears also do we
on sod, and sometimes barley also. Tu
nips, bee.s aEd ruta hagas nearly alWay
do we'll. Wheat cannot be raised tn
first year.
. Thus il is possible for a family sft'
the first three months to secure ii
greater part OF their living from the
L farm. Chickens are easily raised, an
i | remember Row a homestead | siOppe
|, at one day where the industrious VII
y assured me their chickens and turkey
would supply them with most OF II
o meat they would want tor the year.
/ All the crops which can be grown O
O sod having been planted, and the break
"a ing season over, house should be con
menced at once. The size and style {
e this should, OF course, depend on ii
T means at command. Better get alob
d with a small, cheap house al first ina
go much in debt. But If you have Il
% means to do SO make it roomy, neat an
e comfortable, but Adore all conCenient.
l. weutd like to write a whole letter O
= this subject, and don't know but l wi
: soon, Tor it does seem the easiest thin
} in the world for men 10 make mistakes
u building.
IS Wemen generally have i've times Ii
q knowledge of the comforts and COZ
veniences of house that men hav
therefore consult your wife about 1t an
e let her have it about as she pleases al
" If you have no wife consult the Woms
n you expect to make such, and who is
be more interested in The house than an
}. body else.
/, A temporary stable, with root an
II sides OF prairie hay, is easily and chesl
If ly made. The hay for that, as well
}, tor what stock you may have. is had fl
= the cutting anywhere on the prari
d Your. tuel-wood or coal, whichev'
$ may be the cheapest-you will get irol
|. the nearest Railroad station.
n In most prairie counties there a,
r heiding laws, requiring owners of stoC
s 10 prev mt it from running at large, {
!, that no fencing is necessary except whs
= ls needed TO keep your own stock il
b Therefore the latter part OF the summt
i and the entire fall, except the time o,
a cupied in gathering the crops, may b
= used in build ng the house and maxim
e any other Improvements that may be d.
a sired.
e And amocg the mcst important of thes
I imp OVements is the setting out OF plent
e OF trees. Every farmer who settles on
5 prairie should do this the very first ol
: portunity. So't maple, cottonwood
0 black walL u, and hickory, grow yer
rapidly, and in very few years with
i little care, handsome grove of thel
may be had, which will add largely I
! the beauty and value OF the place.
e The next spring the sod first broke
g will be through!Y rotten and the groun
3 ready for any crop desired, ard th
g method OF cultivation does not vary fron
: that in the east.
And now having carried our settle
? through the first--whlch is always th
hardest--yesr of his experience IN hi