Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-23

sod was evenly buried TO the depth of
eight inches, and the six inches OF surface
soil was finely pulverizcd. | can sec no
use in replowing for seeding TO grass, es-
pecially if the manure is near the surface,
and we would retain it there where 1t Will
be of immediate use to the young grass
when ii first starts. The Randall harrow
will pulverize the surface of any ordinary
corn, oat, barley, or millet field TO the
depth Of two or three inches, completely |
tearing and cutting the little sod which |
these crops may form into such small
fragments that the more deeply working
culivator may follow it without clogging, |
which would be impossible without this
previous tearing in pieces of the upper
one or two inches BY this method, a field
may be easily made fine and will contain
fewer hard Jumps than by the ordinary
custom Of blowing. cross-plowing, and
narrowing, while the amount OF labor,
from beginning to end, is greatly reduced.
THE SMOOTHING DRAGs.-There is an
other cheap implement | ought not to for
get, which any farmer can make ut home
at Il triling cost. This is smoothing
drag for leveling the ground on fields
which are but imperfectly plowed, also
for smoothing the surface of newly seeded
lands which are tolerably free from stones.
1t is also useful for pulverizlng and dis
tributing coarse manure spread upon
moving or plowed fields. 1t is II simple
wooden drag, made by spiking three or
four boards or plank, six or eight feet long
upon the under side of Two joints cut to a
bevel in front that it may more easily pass
! ,r1 al IL, ular nF
soil. With pair of horses hitched to this
and man or hoy to ride and drive, field
may, in short time, be made rs level and
smooth as by roller costing fifty times as
much. On free mellow land it is fully
equal to the roller, but it is not its equal
among small cobble stones which 1t in
clines to drag along rather than to crush
beneath the surface. BY the use of these
four implements, the swivel plow for
turning the soil, the pulverizing harrow
for filming and mellowing the soil. the
three toolhed cultivator for the several
purposes | have named, and the cheap
homemade drag for smoothing the sur
face, the labor of tillage may be so re-
duced that that the work can be underta-
ken with pleasure rather than with dread.
CARE OF IMPLEMENTs.-On the care of
implements for tilage have little to offer
except few hints which every prudent
farmer will gladly heed. Never thump a
cast iron tool against rock to knock OIL
the dirt which adheres because OF the rust
which you have allowed 10 gather. Keep
the polished surface of plows and other
tools bright and well oiled when not in
use. Wipe the dirt from your pillow the
f moment you cease using it, rubbing with
a dry sod, if nothing better is at hand. A
half hours securing and a days fretting
may be saved by one minutes work at the
right time. Never use plow or culti-
vator for digging stones or stumps which,
from their size, call for more appropriate
; tools for their removal; but falling to heed
this advice, don't attempt to deiraud the
manufacturer by charging the breakage
TO flaws in the iron or poor timber in
the wood work.
In selecting pillow, buy the one you
think is too large, rather than the one you
fear is too small. The heavy one will
grow lighter every day of its use. The
shape of pillow has far more to dc
with the case of its traught than has the
number of its pounds. Other things be-
ing equal, the longer and more tapering
the mould-board the easier its draught
Do not wear the points or other irons O
Il tillage implements too dull. Dull points
e make poor work. and too long using
wears other and more costly parts which
new points would protect. Better buy {
new point for II dollar, and make gooC
r work, than spoil four dollar mould
!, board while doing work you will b'
ashamed of. Finally, keep all valuable
c tools housed, when not in use. Tel
y dollars worth of lumber will cover
hundred dollars worth of tools and maxi
them last twice as long as if left expos
!. ed to sun and storm.-N Z. Farmer.