Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-29
BREAKING PRAIRTE.

OO1SIdeIdOle diversity OF opinion pre-
walls as to the proper time and the right
depth to break prairie. In some of the
Older States the practice is to break al
most entirely in the month of June, and
thus allow the breaking TO lie idle until
the next season, or perhaps back-set it
IN the fall. This practice has some
show of reason in most prairie coun-
tries, from the fact that it takes Ill the
allotted time for the sod to rot suffi-
GENTLY to produce a crop. But here in
Dakota the case is different. The prai-
RE sod here breaks about as easily as
the meadow lands il the Eastern States.
In other prairie States three and four
yoke of cattle are needed to break with,
while here one good yoke can break
from an acre to an acre and a half q
day. It follows, then, that if the sod is
not so tough, it will take less time to
subdue it, and it is fact that good
crops of corn, fax and potatoes have
been raised from sod which was turned
the same season. Now while it may be
good practice for farmer to break in
June if he chooses, still to the majority
1t viii be more advantageous to begin
breaking as soon as the frost leaves the
ground. Breaking done very late in
the fall is equally as good, and in some
cases better than early spring breaking.
For a majority of farmers in this eoun-
try early spring has a two-fold advan-
ta9e, from the fact that good crop
may be raised the first year. The sod
is not so tenacious but that the grain
roots can penetrate it and secure an
abundance of plant food in the sod
and beneath it. Breaking done
in July or August is almost
worthless unless the grass has been cut
Or burned Of before commencing. A
heavy growth of grass turned under
holds the sod upon its edge, and during
the dry season it is literally burned to
a brick, and when such a field is back
set the next spring, or plowed for a
crop, the entire surface is covered with
dry sods grass side up.
For early breaking, where it is de-
sired to raise a crop the first season,
very shallow blowing is the best, as a
thin sod will become rotted in a shorter
time than thick one, but care should
be taken at the next blowing to set
the pillow anss inch or two deeper than the
breaking in order to get an abundance
Of loose soil for the preservation of
moisture.
June breaking should be from three
to four inches in depth, as there is con-
siderable grass on the sod and it needs
more weight to hold it fiat down.
There is an erroneous opinion among
certain class of farmers that breaking
need not be very well done, and still
the field will be in as good condition
after the next blowing as it would be if
more Work was expended on the break
ing. Nothing can be further from the
truth. Turn the sod bottom side up;
not half way over, leaving folds and
hummocks all over the field to obstruct
the pillow at the next blowing.
A field in which the sod has been
turned bottom side up and lies down
fat will not cost half the labor at the
second blowing, the sod will rot quick
er and more moisture will be retained.
To recapitulate; good crops of corn,
fax and potatoes can be raised on sod
if the ground is broken early. There
fore if you want crop the first year
commence to break as soon as the frost
leaves, pillow shallow, and turn the sod
bottom side up.-Dakota Farmer.