Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 June 1908 — Farm and Garden [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Farm and Garden

PLOWING AND DRAGGING. System Will Save Time and Trouble In Farm Work. In plowing alm to have the plow clean and free from rust, so It will acour at the start. Couple the horses closer to the plow than to a wagon. See that the clevis la adjusted so It is in a direct line and causes the plow to go the proper depth. Take pains to have a steady, even pulling team. See that the harness fits just right and everything Is in order. For plowing level make narrow lands and consequently more dead furrows. Go to the side of the field and step off the

required distance at each eud and place' a pole upright at each end and at the end opposite to 'the one w here you commence plowing. Place another pole farther on, lining it up with the end poles. Step off the same distance •t each end that you do at the sides, so the land will be the right proportion. Start the plow and keep the two end poles in line between the horses’ heads, and get a straight furrow to start with. All that is now necessary is to keep the back furrow straight with the other, and after that keep the horse in the furrow', and turn the soil in even layers, slightly lapping over, leaving no space between them. As soon as a land is finished harrow and drag it before commencing another field. If using two teams, the first one to finish uses the harrow and drag. This rests the team by a change. This method puts the land in fine condition and saves much future work, as freshly plowed land works much better than where an entire field is plowed before dragging or harrowing. Dragging “Dutch fashion” may be new to some and prove of value. Its advantages are that it drags neither lengthwise nor square across the furrows and makes easier corners than the ordinary diagonal dragging. The plain Dutch fashion Is shown in the diagram. Commence by “striking out” from A to B. Turn to the right and go back on the left side of first track till you reach edge of field near A. Drive across the first track and back oh the opposite side to the other end. Cross over and back on opposite side again. . Continue crossing over at each end inside your last track and outside the last track along the sides. When half done the piece will look like the first diagram, and the next trip would be from C to D, to E, to F, to C. When done the last trip would be from G to H, and the piece will have been drag ged twice diagonally In opposite directions. This w'orks well on pieces that are nearly square or not more than twice as long as wide. Of late, said one who had tried this system, we have found that it is economy in plowing, cultivating, etc., to make our lands as long as possible. On these Dutch dragging did not work as well, as it was too near lengthwise the furrows, so we hit upon what we call “crazy Dutch,” shown in the second diagram. We “strike out” zigzag across the piece two or three or more times, according to Its length compared to width. The diagram shows three times —viz, from A io B. to C, to D. Turn to the right and go back on left to first track to C and drive across It Go on right side to B, then up left side to A. Cross over and back on left side of B. Drive straight across the first two tracks, turn to the left and go on right side to

C, where you will cross the two tracks again, and go on left side to D. Al ways go straight ahead till you get to the edge ot the field before you make a turn. When half done it will look like the picture, and the next trip would be from E to F, G, H, I, J, K, E, E. When done the last trip will be from M to N, O, P. This looks complicated, but It Isn’t half as hard to do It as it is to tell about it. At least It seems that way to me just now. In striking out we never measure a piece, but guess at the angles. However, the truer you get it struck out the better it works out in finishing. Eastern Poultry Plants. Leghorns, Minorcas and Rhode Island Reds are used on the egg farm, Ligh Brahmas and Plymouth Rocks on th roaster and capon plants, while the broiler, and combination plants ust Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes or Rhode Island Reds.—Oscar Erf.

PLAIN DUTCH HARROWING.

VARIATIONS ON DUTCH FASHION.