The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-02-22
Chief Points Of Good Farming.

From the Aurora Cultivator.
A young farmer desires US to name
the three great essentials of good farm.
ing IN tillage, that by aiming at these he
may be sure of success. In answer to
his request it may be stated that there
are more than three, any one of which
being omitted there would be partial
or entire failure; but perhaps the three
most important of all would be-first,
thorough underdrai ing; secondly, thor
ough cultivation, and thirdly, proper roe
tation. Nearly as important as any OF
these are the timely performance of the
work of the season, and the use of ma
nure or fertilizers. Taking them in the
order in which We have named thum-
/. understanding, on most soils. is in
~dispensable. The only exception is on
land which, having a porous subsoil, al
lows all surplus water from rains to sink
away at once. leaving only what water
the land will hold like a sponge. II SUI
p~erabundant waler remains in the SUBJ
soil several days (Which is easily known
by observing how long it is held in post
holes or other small ~excavations} drain
ing is required. Well drained land adj
mits of cultivation early in spring, al
most as soon as the frost disappears
from it; undrained and water
soaked, it may be necessary
to wait two or three weeks, or even
longer; drained sell is warmed at once
by sunshine; undrained is kept cold a
long time in evaporating the water;
drained sell becomes porous, admits air,
and allows the manure to act at once on
the growing plants. undrained excludes
air from the sol, and the fertilizers re-
main locked under water and are of lit
tie or no use. Draining lengthens the
season by allowing The working
of the soil weeks sooner than If
water-soaked. As general rule, thor
ough tile-draining pays for its entire
COST in three years in the in.
creased crops. aad sometimes
in two years. Much hind, supposed to
be dry enough, is loaded with surplus
water in spring q loot or two down
when dry OF top. This condition may
be seen by digging holes in spring two
or three feet deep, and observing how
long water remains Ill them before
evaporaling or s,owiy soaking away.
2. A more comuion deficiency is a
want of thorough pulverization. The
line roots OF tine plants cannot properly
obtain food from hard c!oas and Jumps.
Finely reduced coils held moisture like
u sponge, give it off MS needed, and pre-
vent drouth. Though mcilowing of the
soil has, IN some instances, nearly doub-
! led the wheat crop, and is especially
useful for clay soils. A correspondent
ofthe Country Gentleman stated some
two years ago, as the result of many ex-
periments, that ore dollar in extra
work with good pulvar;zing tools, added
from five to ten bushels per acre to the
wheat crop. Root crops have been
doubled by reducing bard eoi3s to fine
powder in connection with the applied
manure. One ofthe greatest and most
Important results o%fthorongh culture is
the prevention of the growth of weeds,
and IN giving clean and handsome fields.
with large crops.
tage of promoting success without adj
ditional expense. II consists in the ex-
ercise of the thought derived from ex-
p%erience. A proper succession OF crops,
with other essentials, gives heavy re.
turns in all; while rep .tition of the same,
or improper succession, tends to ex-
haustion or failure. A good, well-de-
vised rotation tends largely to the ex-
clusion of perennial as we'll as annual
weeds.
These three points are Indispensable.
80 Is the use of manure, end hence the
Importance of saving and applying prop
erly all that can be made. Waste by
washing is to be avoided, and waste by
applying and turning under in large
Jumps. Here the necessity Of pulver.
ization comes in. The timely perform
ance OF work is a~ll-essential; a poor CROP
in a dry season, the growth of weedsi
the waste or ripenihg products, and q
general arrangement of the whole ma
chine may result from delay.
b preceding remarks apply to till-