Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-03-01
Breaking Prairie.


state, it is very essential to start
out in improving it with design to
working future farm. The first
thing to be taken in consideration
is the Breaking-which should be
done during the season that the
prairie grass is growing, that is,
from the 10th of May, to the 4th of
July in common years, although
some seasons are earlier or later,
can be calculated up on by the far
mer. The action Of the sun upon
the roots Of plants in a growing
state, has far greater effect than
when the plants have arrived at
maturity; hence if prairie grasses
have received all the nutrimcnt re-
CURED from the soil for their growth
and even if turned over, the plants,
instead of dying, accommodate
themselves to the change and start
out new shoots, while again plants
that are turned over during their
growth are cut off from the nutri-
tious soil in solution, which, with
the rays of the sun, kills and rots
them, leaving the sod in condition
able to raise crop Of cereals in the
ensuing season.
Prairie blowing is generally done
in very slovenly manner, baulks,
cut and cover, &C., is looked upon
as sufficient to raise crop, never
taking into consideration that the
land has to be plowcd sometimes
and the longer delay the more the
weeds grow. The operator in plow-
ing, must make a straight furrow.
No blowing can be well done, zig
tagging over a field, and the first
lesson in blowing that the farmer
should teach his boy or hired man
is to take team and draw a straight
open furrow, and if the hired man
either can't or won't pillow straight,
discharge him; as every crook is
apt to make a baulk, every baulk
grows weeds, every weed that goes
to seed makes fifty others. These
things should be taken in considera-
ton in breaking and although it is
impossible to cut every root in
prairie breaking, still, by straight
blowing and sharp plowiron%, most
everything can be cut. The depth
of the furrow in breaking prairie
has to be gagged according to the
face of the prairie; the shallower
the work is done so rs to cut and
turn the sod the better. This shall
low blowing is for the purpose of
exposing the grass roots to the hot
suns rays; but in brush or willow
prairie, should the pillow not be able
TO stay in the ground with shallow
blowing, then fix the breaking pillow
to 60 deep enough to cut everything
for it is more practicable to pillow
deep in breaking new land and cut
everything than pillow shallow and
run over it. The width of the fur
row in breaking prairie depends
upon the amount Of team used.
Some farmers are greatly in favor
of using large plows with long
string Of cattle and linking their
burrows. This is good and pra-
teal plan in a new country where
grass is plenty and grain is scarce;
but, in the northern and middle
counties of our State, the big OK
breaking teams have given way to
smaller plows with three horses
when the work is generally better
done. The three horse breaking
plow generally makes the turrow
fiat which lies in better state for
cross blowing in the fall, should
that be required
All new breaking when enclosed
in a field so that cattle and sheep
cannot pasture down the weeds,
that grow through the sods should
be plowcd in the fall. This cuts
off the roots of weeds that have
grown in the breaking, thereby
stopping their growth in the ensu-
ing season which they invariably
will do, and also throwing up the
half rotten roots OF the grasses to
the action of the frost which has a
property Of mellowing them down
for the next seasons corp. New
breaking when closely pasturcd by
cattle, after being broke, does not
require to be crossed in the fall, as
few weeds grow in the next seasons
crop. Many farmers, however,
cross-plow all their new breaking
because they can put in 4 wheat or
oat crop easier in the spring, and
they also save seed; and the extra
yield in harvest will more than pay
them for the extra work.
In breaking piece of prairie it
is far more economical should y side
hill slough or piece Of wet land,
capable Of being drained, be III it,
to pillow the whole dry and wet land
then, after cross blowing in the
fall, drain out the slough by coy
cred or open ditch; but it is not
policy to pillow sloughs even for
tame grasses without taking the
surface water away by dltchlng, and
when we travel over the State and
see the once beautiful prairie patch
cd by breaking in all sort Of shapes,
simply because there was 4 piece of
wet land that the owner did not
care about draining and would not
cultivate, we are apt to think that
nature is far more beautiful in its
wild waste, carpetcd with its beauti-
full prairie flowers, than when the
slovenly farmer takes hold. break
ing patches all over his land, plow-
ing round and round them each sea-
son leaving a rim for weeds until
the once beautiful flowers have
degenerated into Il labyrinth of
gaudy weeds. p. McIsAAc, IN
Homestead.