Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-01-21
FARM And GARDEN NOTES.
ITEMS or TIMELY INTEREST TO THE
FARMERS.
New Fodder Crops. Geese. Save Your
Communicating Off Beef Cattle for
Market
HOW AND WHEN TO pLow.

every dSflcultuIlSt dt solnt ptTlOu Va
his career were recently asked Thomas
Shaw, OF the Minnesota Agricultural
College, and were answered by that
distinguished scientist. The questions
follow: "Shall blowing be deep or shall
low. Shall land be plowed In the fall
or spring? Shall the blowing be care
fully done or does II make any differ
eiice so long as the Land is turned
over?"
To which Professor Shaw makes
answer as follows, through the col
ltmns of the Northwestern Agricultu-
rist: The question of deep and shallow
blowing is entirely one of conditions.
These questions relate to soil, the sea-
son and to the crop to be grown. AS a
rule. it is not wise to piow thin, light
soil deeply. III we let the plow run
deep we bring up raw and poor soil,
ard we bury the mould so essential to
the sustenance of a quick and early
growth; and both of these are impor-
tant in securing good crops.
Soils that are as rich below as above
may be plowed at any time, providing
they can he kept sufficiently moist; but
remember moisture is affected by the
depth of the blowing, as will be shown
below, and stiff clays must not be
plOwed deeply when the sowing fol-
lows close upon the blowing. The
newly upturned earth may have lots
OF fertility in it, but it unlocks so that
the young plants cannot get enough Of
1t to enable them to make Il respecta-
bic growth. But under the opposite con-
ditlOns they may grow more freely,
and sometimes ought to be plowed
more deeply.
As rule. lands can be plowed more
deeply in the fall than in the spring.
and the less moist the climate the
greater the necessity for blowing such
lands i'm the fall When thus plowed
in the fail they form firmer seed bed
than if plowed in the spring, hence it
can better retain moisture. The
lighter and the more spongy the soil,
however, the more important, relative
ly, is fall blowing, because of the in
creased power which it gives land to
retain moisture.
Again, in all soils much of the food
for plants is held in forms which the
plants can't get ut until they become
available. Now. exposure during the
winter TO sun, rain, frost and wind has
tendency to unlock or liberate more
or less Of the food, hence ordinarily a
surface turned up in the fall has
plenty Of food for the young plants
when sown upon it, and in forms easily
accessible; whereas, such plants
p!owed in the spring, there would not
be time for the liberation Of food to
the same extent until the plants were
we'll grown. In a dry season there
would be but little opportunity for
such liberation, for it does not take
place readily in the absence of mois-
ture. When blowing must need be done
in the spring, therefore, it should never
be deeper than the old furrow, lest
diately accessible.
The aim of the Northwest. therefore,
food in it which would not be imme-
raw soil should be brought up with
should be to turn every furrow that
C:rIi possibly be turned for crop produc-
ton in the fall The rains that have
fallen the past season make ii possible
for the plows to go down this fall.
Serd them down, farmers; make the
most of your opportunity. Try hard to
turn every furrow this fall. Turn out
early, return home late, and work on
and OH until the last furrow is turned,
providing your horses can stand ii.
A corn crop requires deeper furrow
than a crop of barley and a mangel
crop needs a deeper furrow than a
crop Of corn. We must have some re-
gard, then, as to the needs of the crop
when determining the depth to which
we shall plow. But even for those
deep-rooted crops it will be apparent
that when blowing the la:..... for them
in the spring we should not go down so
deep as though we had plowed in the
fall.
The manner of the blowing is all i'm
portant. The chief objects Of blowing
are, first, to bury the vegetation that
may cucumber the surface Of the land;
second, to loosen up the soil so that
the roots of plants can penetrate it:
and, third, to secure an even seed bed
favorable to the sowing Of the seed
and to the reaping of the harvest. Now,
IL the blowing Is so done that vegeta-
ton is not covered, 1t will not quickly
decay; it will be in the way. If weeds
are left with the heads sticking out
between the burrows, they will at once
begin to grow, and IL the burrows are
carelessly turned there will be uneven
ness in the surface that will render
the sowing of the seed less effective
and will enhance the labor OF removing
the harvest So be convinced of the ne
ccssity for careful blowing. One has
but to observe the effects of careless
blowing in country in which the soil
il stiff. 1t oftentimes means crop fail
ure when good blowing would be at
tended with success In crop prOduc-
ton. But in rich prairie lands careful
blowing is not so necessary to good crop
production; and this explains in part
at least much of the wretched blowing
that Is done.
FINISHING OFF BEEF CATTLE
FOR MARKET.
perhaps on general PRINCIPLES twelve