The Portland daily press., 1875-03-01
The Marker ms N Farm Tool.

AS the marker is one OF the very lew TOOLS,
says a contributor to the New York Times,
that the farmer makes himself, it is rather
disgrace to him to furnish himself with SO
poor an implement as he generally does. 1t is
necessary to have good tool TO mark out
corn or potato field with, straight and true
enough to insure close and nice work in Gull
tivating the crop. The best set Of markers
have seen was set of shafts and handles,
made and ironed together, so that any sized
marker-head could be boited ON for use as it
was wanted, and after using could as easily
be taken apart and both put under shelter.
The three gauges prefer for field use are 4
feet II inches, feet 8 3-5 inches, and feet
9 inches, the first giving just four rows to the
the rod the second five rows, and the third
six rows in width, so that by marking with
either of these can easily count up the num-
Der of acres in piece and the yield per acre.
Now, it is fact that one-half the farmers do
not know the exact size of the fields they are
working year after year, but by using mark
er of either of these gauges when planting his
corn, or beans, or potatoes, if his lot is of an
equal width and of an equal length, he has
only to count up the number of rows each
way, when he will readily reduce the whole
to acres But if the lot be wedge shape, or of
whatever shape, if the sides are straight, then
BY counting up the middle rows each way, he
can, by multiplying these together, arrive at
the same result, and have the exact number
of acres planted. / call attention to this way
of measuring field because it is so easily
done. To do good marking of field it is not
safe to depend on the straight side of a field
to make the first mark by, but set some stakes
few feet in from the side of the field to
90 by the first time marking across, then
with a good four-teeth marker, each time
crossing the field running the first tooth in
the last mark, he will space off the field in
that way with one gauge; but it is often best
in practice to mark a field with a narrower
gauge one way than it is the other, because
nicer and more thorough work with the cul-
tivator can be done in the narrow gauge than
in the broad one. For instance, planting
corn in the feet 8 3-5 inch guage gives
twenty-five hills to the square rod, which is
about the right amount on the ground; but
prefer to use instead for north and south rows
the feet Il inch space, which will let in the
sun, and also will give room to cultivate once
or twice after the corn is too large to 60
through if planted nearer together. Then,
crossing these with 2 feet inch marker,
giving twenty-four hills to the rod, I can do
the best work with the cultivator to prepare
tor boeipg in this narrow gauge. But in
marking so for potatoes it is quite necessary
to go the way of the broad gauge, the last
time blowing them out, which will leave
them a broad seed bed as hill for the pota
toes to grow in. AS it is now coming the
time of year for the thrifty farmer to over
haul his farm tools-seing that they are put
ia repair for the next seasons work. would
call his attention to the marker, and if he
has not got one of the hest, ask him to make
himself one; for 1 claim that the man that
uses a tool is the one above all others to
make one for his own use.