The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-08-04
for the farmer.
SOME HINTS ABOUT AUGUST
FARMING.


Preparatious for sowing wheat should be made
Mt once. There was formerly more difference oil
opinion as TO the time of sowing wheat thah
there is now. The majority of farmers favor ear,
" sowing, and if the seed is well m the grounI
late in August the chances are more fayoIabie
than if IL Is sown later. Where wheat follows
oats the oat stubble should be plowed inine-
diatsIy after the crop is taken from the held II
the weather is dry, the greater viii be tine ne
eexsity for rppeated blowing and rolling, to pre-
vent the soil from baking.
A mellow soil, well rolled and packed, is what
the seed require to terminate in. If the soil Is
eIoddy the young roots are exposed 20 the seton
of the air in the open spaces, and dIled anu
killed. This is the secret of many failures OF
what where at first promising seedlings. Repeat
ed harrowings and rollings are needed to pro-
duce the proper condition of the soil. No mat
ter if the surface is somewhat rough, If the SOL
beneath is mellow and fine. Indeed, we womb
rather have the top little rough.
Drilling is by far the best way Of seeding. II
costs fifty cents an acre if the drill is hired, aud
less if il is purchased Five peeks of seed to the
acre, or six at most, is enough, so that at least
half bushel of seed per acre is saved, and here
is the cost returned at once. But the dlnerence
In tine harvest is many times its cost in favor oil
the drill Every winter we read and hear on
every hand "drill sown wheat looks well, but
broadcast wheat is injured, and looks badly.
There is much in placing the seed exactly nght
10 the ground. Ifthe plant has no depth OF root,
x.
or spring, and it will not tiller out rs VIII that
more deeply sown.
SIZED AND SEEDISG.-It hanily need he said
that If the seed is not good, no good crop can De
hoped for. The necessity for selecting seed win
care has been q maxim Of agriculture Tor thons,
ands of years. The oldest books tell OF it. And
yet the success of the persons who make busi-
ness of doing this is now made a 'nine days
wonder" Unfortunately it is forgotten in nine
days and We go on sowing the seed just a. II
Il =. 1.aNaW to
ut least a small strip in the field, with the best
seed to be procured, upon ground prepared IN the
hest way and cut this by itself at harvest, and
thresh II at once for seed. But if this pays, why
not grow the whole crop in the same wayf
good farmer should have no grain that he can
not use for seed; none that is poor, light, shrun-
ken, or mixed with cookie or garlic.
The Potato BEETLE Ii is shOrt-sighted bus
mess to leave the last brood 10 breed and in
crease, because the potatoes are past harm. This
is seeding for n crop next year, which will per
pctuate the vermin and make work for another
season. fthe late arrivals are destroyed, there
will be very few another year, II q thorough
work were made of this pest for one season by
every one who grows potatoes, very quick end
could be made oft.
PoTATOEs.-Eariy potatoes should be harves-
ted as soon as ripe. Else, If wet weather occurs,
the tubcrs may sprout and be injured Rue's pO-
tato digger is an effective implement, designed
expressly for this work, and where the crop is
largu ane, it can hardly be dispensed with, if
the orpn is to he gathered and put away as quick
ly as il should be. There is other crop that
follow potatoes well as fall wheat, and no
ground easily prepared for it as potato ground.
Potatoes may be pitted and lightly covered with
the vines, and some boards over them, and re-
main until frost.
TURSIps.-The White Norfolk Globe or the
Cow Horn Turnip, can be sOwn upon an oat stub
hle, If wheat ID not to follow the oats. If the
ground is fairly clean, the seed may be sOwn
broadcast at the rate of three pounds 10 the acre
But il is better to sow with one of the small
hand=drills, in rowsH to 80 inches apart, when
pound and a half to two pounds will be suffi-
cient. One hundred to two hund e pounds If
guano, or fertilizer prepared expressly for tur-
nips should be sown Immediately after the seed.
THREsHING.-When grain is threshed, it is safe
from the majority Of its many enemies. 1t is
also ready to sell at a moments notice, when the
price Suits or money is wanted. Perhaps no
further reasons than these need be given why it
IL well to thresh early as possible, One of the
most convenient things about a farm is a thresh-
ing machine and horse power, or for larger farms
one of the many good and cheap steam engines,
which will be found in the advertising columns.
II is great convenience to be able TO thresh
Just when one wants TO, and without the fuss
and bother of hired machine.
MILK Cows-Will need some fresh fodder as
soon rs the pastures have become dry and hard.
Those who have provided some fodder crop, will
keep up the supply of milk; those who have not,
will regret their neglect. There are some far
mers who make but little, but the best might
often do little better, and at this season this
truth comes home,
RAsPBERRIEs AND BLACKBERRIEs.-We pre-
fer, for reasons given last month, to cut away
the old canes as soon as the fruit is off. Select
the new shoots that are TO fruit next year, and
keep them tied mp, destroying all the Others.
When these reach four feet high in raspberries,
and six feet in blackberries stop them by cut
ting or pinching off the tip; some prefer them
lower than this by foot. This stopping will
cause branching, and the branches should not
he allowed to grow over fifteen or eighteen inch
es lOng-ImeriodR IgrieHlfHrist