Year: 1863

@CULTvATING.-If the ground has


become hard or a crust has formed


on the surface the seed will not come


up regular, frequently the plant per-


ishes after it has sprouted in con-
sequence of the ground being too


hard that it cannot penetrate


through, and often by being cover


ed too deep. [ have found It an ex-


cellent plan to take a fine Garden


Rake after some of the plants begin


to show themselves and follow up


row by row and rake the top of the


ground loose. Those that never


have adopted the above plan would


be astonished to see the benefits "a


rising from such a small amount of


labor bestowed. If the seed has


been planted in the right kind of


soil, a hand can rake over some two


acres per day. If the seed has


sprouted and the weather warm the


plants will show themselves in two


or three days. 1 will give a little


Of my experience this spring to


prove the position l took in a for
mer communication; that is not to
plant the seed until the the ground


becomes warm. prepare hot-beds


for the purpose of trying my seeds,
this spring, the latter part of March.


[ put lot of the Sugar Cane seeds
in hot-bed; that portion of it that
the sun shone on the whole day came
up In five or six days, that, that


the sun did not strike until seven or
eleven o'clock was two weeks ma


king its appearance; portion Of


the seed that was planted close to
the side boards of the hot-bed where


the sun did not strike it through
the glass has never come up but has
rOtted; the hot-bed was all prepar-
ed alike, the seeds were all the
same kinds, all the seeds were
treated alike before planting, that
is soaked in warm water "a hours
rolled in plaster and planted of a
uniform depth, and all watered a
like. But / resume: after the plants
are a fingers length in height and
can be seen the length of the rows,
take light, two-horse three corner
ed harrow, knock out the centre
tooth, hitch on two horses, let them
walk one ON each side of the row;
by dragging the harrow in that form
on each row, the wings of the har-
row reaching nearly to the rows on
the right and left leaves the
ground between the rows twice har-
rowed over, have a careful man or
boy to follow with a Garden Rake
and remove all clods, &c. that may
be on the plants and straighten up
and uncover all plants that may be
knocked down. If there should be
INV vacant spaces in the rows, take
spade and go to the spots that arc
-he thickest, insert the spade under
he plants andn fill up said vacant
paces. The transplanting is far
preferable to replanting, it secures
better crop. If done when the
ground is moist, G don't mean mud,)
-ou can't tell in the fall the trans
,lants from the balance of the
.rop. When the plants are from
to 10 inches high take a one-horse
teel-toothed cultivator and go twice
n each row. If your rows are
traight and the ground free from
weeds and grass, and you manage
our cultivator right there IS but
title need of any person TO follow,
,ut should the ground be foul it is


tightly important for hand to fol-
ow, to pull, and cut out all weeds
nd grass. | prefer covering up
II such trash as can be entirely coy
red from sight, but that which is
lose to the plant should be pulled