Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1893-10-05
FARM AND GARDEN.
Several Methods by Which Land
May be Improved.
A FEW AGRICULTURAL NOTES.
Some General Information About
Preparing the Ground for
Planting Wheat.

1t is very important to prepare the
seed bed for wheat in good condition.
What is needed is three or four inches of
finely pulverized soil and reasonably
solid seed bed underneath. After the
blowing is done the instruments neces-
sary to properly prepare in a suitable
condition can best be determined by the
condition and character of the soil.
When the soil is in condition to plow
well and then can be narrowed as fast as
plowed, the work OF preparing in a good
tilth can be greatly lessened. But it is
often the case before the plowing can be
done the ground gets hard and dry, and
it will require considerable work to Sc
cure the proper tilth. Hard Jumps can
be worked down with a drag or roller.
and with drag it may be necessary to
90 over twice. The disc harrow can after
be used to a good advantage in tinlng
the soil. Ii hard rains have run the soil
together, the disc or Acme harrow can
be used to a good advantage. There is
an advantage in using the rollers and
drag, especially in leveling and fning
the soil, while the disc or Acme harrow8
are needed if the soil becomes packed.
Generally it is best to go over sufficiently
often to keep down the green growth
that may start up and to keep the sur
face mellow, using the implement best
suited to keep the soil in this condition
with the least work. Generally before
drilling it will be good plan to use the
spike-tooth harrow and then the roller;
this will leave the soil in good shape for
drilling, " the roller is not used, the
narrowing should nearly always be done
crosswise the way the drilling is to be
done, as otherwise it is sometimes diff
cult to follow the drill rows. By getting
the soil in good tilth before sowing the
seed a much better germinator of the
seed and more vigorous start to grow
can be secured. In order to do this to
the best advantage the work should be
commenced as soon after plowing as pos
sible. But sometimes, when the ground
is hard and dry, it may be necessary to
wait until after rain softens the Jumps,
when the work can be pushed along very
rapidly. But in all cases it will pay to
work until the soil is in good tilth be-
fore sowing the seed. BY having the soil
in good tilth when the proper time for
sowing arrives the work can be pushed
along very rapidly.
THE IMPROVEMENT OF LAND.
There are various ways in which land
may be greatly improved, and the care
full farmer who wishes to make success
in his business will always be on the
alert for new methods of culture, and
will also follow those which he has found
from actual trial to be good. Good drain
age is essential for land on which cereal
| tn hn A g.
easily obtain information regarding the
drainage OF piece of land by digging
holes four or five feet deep and noting
where the water stands. in these. On
corn land this water level should be forty
two inches below the surface. Another
method OF improving the soil is by thor
ough cultivation. This is necessary in
order to obtain the best results. Opin-
ions differ very widely in regard to deep
and shallow plowing. At the Perdue
| (lnd.) experiment station experiments
have been made on corn plats, plowing
four to twelve inches deep. The first
year there was no perceptible difference,
but the second year there was great
gain from deep plowing and subsoiing
The effects of deep plowing and subsoil-
ing are not always apparent the first
year, but where it has been practiced the
crop of wheat the second year has been
double that of field shallow plowed,
with the same amount of manure applied
to each. Subsoiling loosens up more OF
the earth, and furnishes more plant food
and moisture than shallow plowing. In
clay lands it is desirable to change the
conditions in order to keep it from bak-
ing during very dry weather. Air-slaked
lime is one OF the best substances which
can be used for this purpose. The
amount to apply varies, ranging from
three TO twelve tons per acre, according
TO the stiffness in the clay. Application
can be made at intervals of seven to ten
years. II. A. Huston, Indiana State
Chemist, advises farmers with heavy
clay lands to experiment with small
neld IN this way, being careful that the
lime Is left in small piles long enough to
become well air-slaked, and then have it
distributed and well mixed with the soil.
Using lime in this way makes the land
easy to puIyerize, and changes it from
hard compact mass to one easily broken
into particles which the plant roots can
penetrate. Salt is also used sometimes
IN the same way, and has the same effect
on the soil, but is not always beneficial;
hence lime is more highly recommended.
PLANT TREES.
No matter whether farmer wants TO
plant spruce for timber, few on the
windward side OF the houses and barns
10 shelter them from the fierce storms
VIII prove profitable investment. The
Norway spruce is rapid grower, and a
wlndbreak once planted will every wear
prove more valuable. 1t makes a better
wlndbreak to plant two rows about ten
ieet apart, with some deciduous trees
between. What wind one tree does not
obstruct the other row will catch.
NOTES.
DO not let stock lose flesh during hot
weather. Better feed hay or green corn
than allow animals to become poor.
Keep one cock for each breeding pen
oi fourteen hens. This will do for all
breeds but Asiatics, which require more
males.
Bantams may be Matched at anv time.
II the young are carefully kept from lice,
they. will do as well in summer as il
hatched earlier.
Success in raising hogs depends upon
good breeding, feeding and general care.
" Bad luck" is another expression for
poor management.
Geese can be picked three or four
times during spring and summer and in
thls way, made profitable. But the
Ieathers should be pulled only when they
are ripe.