The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-04-19
Flowing.

PL0wING is one of the most important
operations on the farm, and it strikes me
that if farmers would do this work better
they would need less bone-dust and other
bought fertilizers. Some pillow around
the field, leaving q great ridge next the
fence; others pillow in lands without SET
ting q stake, blowing full depth from the
first. leaving ridge in the middle that
looks like railroad grade. The only OBJ
ject is to get the ground turned upside
down or turned up, no matter how. They
drive like blazes, blowing two or three
acres per day, never stopping TO turn down
a sod. IT the pillow bounces out they 60
right ahead, whether it catches within
three feet or ten. If the pillow runs out
at the end all right, or if not, they pillow
across the end of the land in a half circle.
If the pillow runs out at the end, they
never stop to place it right, but start in
where it happens, cut and cover for several
feet, or start in the other furrow and
gradually run off till they have full
furrow. If such men make straight
furrOw from end to end, it is pure acct
dent. The dead furrOw caps the climax.
The next to last furrOw is plOwed full
depth and the last one full width. We
have seen them two or three feet wide,
walk on the plowed land rather than fol-
low it. This makes nice moving and
reaping. If men were compelled by law
| to pillow in this way, forbidden to do good
blowing, we should hear more grumbling
and more Boosting about what they could
do, than we now hear about hard times.
Now let us look at the other side of the
picture.
A good farmer-one who takes pride in
his work-in starting land will first set
up several stakes. Then he draws a fur
row perfectly straight, and about one
third the depth he intends to pillow the
field. There is one thing forgot to NEIL
ton; before he commences the land, he
plows very shallow furrow along each
end, about eight feet from the fence, to
keep the ends straight. Now we will go
back to the land. If he intends to pillow
the field nine inches deep, he will pillow
his first furrow three inches; the second
furrOw should be six inches deep and
we'll laid up on the first. He is not afraid
of getting his hands dirty; when the plow
fails to turn it perfectly, and he can not
get it over with his foot to suit him, he
will take his hands. The third furrow he
will pillow full depth. He will keep his
burrows all about the same width (about
fourteen inches) and depth till he comes
to the third from the last, when he begins
to pillow shallower. Next to the last fur
row is made about half depth of the ordi-
nary furrOw, and not over foot wide, or
it will lay too flat. Then the last ftrrow
takes all the sod and about half of the
bottom of the shallow furrow; or it can
take the sod only, and final furrow
plowed the same way, in the bottom of
the eha'.ow furrow, This makes the
incest 6cisA; you can scarcely notice the
ridge, and the dead furrow is about the
width of an ordinary one, and as straight
as a line. The burrows do not lay as flat
as pancakes, but are well laid up, with
plenty of loose dirt to harrow down be-
tween them. Flowing matches are of far
less frequent occurrence than they should
be. l have come to the conclusion, from
observation, that the average farmer
would much "a, her attend horse race
than a blowing match.
There is one thing of which will speak
before closing, and that is, nearly or quite
all the first class blowing in this locality is
done with right hand plows, and yet there
is not one right hand pillow used to ten left
hand plows. Why this is so cannot tell,
unless it is because most farmers are too
careless to use the right-hand pillow. In
conclusion, l think there is reform needed
in blowing as much as in many other
things to which more attention is given
Hor Drncfscnl Eo,.uanr