VOL. XXIII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, MARCH 31,1888.
NO. 13
Level Cultivation.
The great advantage of the level culture for corn has long been advocated by
the most eminent agriculturists. Corn
roots instead of running down as many
thoughtlessly suppose, spread out near
the surface and if hilled up throw out a
second set of roots from the joint nearest
the surface. This process exhausts the
plant unnecessarily using the plant food
which should go to develop stalks, leaves
and ears. Again level culture secures in
the greatest degree possible exemption
from the effect of drouth. Leaving the
ground in furrows exposes donble thesur-
face to tbe absorbing influence of the hot
dry air, while keeping the surface as level
as possible, yet loose,enables it to not only
retain the moisture in it, but to condense
that which is present in the air which penetrates the porous soil.
There is another serious fault with the
ordinary system of cultivation; The corn
roots spread out over the ground forming
a net work. With the ordinary cultivator
these are all torn to pieces every time it is
cultivated, and in a dry season so saps its
very life, so it cannot absorb. sufficient
plant food to form the ear, and the result
is a failure of the crop.
Now unquestionably the ground should
be thoroughly pulverized down deep so it
Till hold the moisture, but this should be
done while the corn is small before the
ground becomes a network, of oorn roots.
What is wanted is a tool that will work
all the ground deep on the start and the
surface later on, and the lack of this has
been the real reason why level culture has
not been more generally adopted. Its ad •
vantage'has been universally conceded,
but the tools which have been built for
this purpose would only work the surface
when the soil was in the right condition,
but were useless in a rainy season when
the weeds got the start and the ground
hard, and could not be used at all when
it was stony or rooty, and the old cultivator or corn plow had to be kept for this
work, making the cost of the surface cultivator only an additional outlay and consequently but few farmers have used
them. To combine in one machine the
good features of the corn plow or shovel
cultivator with a practical tool for level
cultivation was the aim of Mr." Gale the
■well known inventor, in bringing out the
Albion Spring Tooth Cultivator and the
rapidity with which its trade has been
built up is ample evidence that it is a
complete success.
Hung on a regular cultivator frame it
has 5 spring teeth on a side about the
width of an ordinary cultivator narrow
shovel or "Ball Tongue," which can be
run at any depth thoroughly pulverizing
the ground to the bottom of the furrow if
desired.
The ordinary corn plow has only 2 shovels so it either breaks the ground up in
lumps or leaves a strip between the shovels that is not stirred at all, but the Albion
cuts all the ground down deep the first
cultivation and after the corn roots have
spread out over the ground it can be run
sh<tllow just deep enough to break the
orust that may be formed by rains, but
not deep enough to injure the roots, and
«the ground is thoroughly pulverized all
throngh, and at the same time left nearly
level it stands the drouth with little in
Jn"-y, and the result is a largely increased
cr°p. Besides all this it is of no less value
88 a weed killer. The great curse of our
behest land is the weed and the longer it
j* cultivated the worse it becomes, corn
fields are the "breeding" ground for them
and they ought to be the placo to kill them.
The trouble with the ordinary shovel cultivator is it "Cuts and Covers," and while
the weeds are covered up tho roots are not
~ra out, and as soon as the cultivator
f~P»  they spring up and the-cornfields
seed, and are ready to grow up again in
the spring. The Albion Cultivator with
its 5 narrow spring teeth or Bull Tongues
ou each side, cuts all the ground and tears
out every weed by the roots each time it
is cultivated, and by the time you have
finished the season's cultivating every
■freed seed that has sprouted has been, torn
out and killed, so there is nothing left to
grow and the corn fields are clean in the
fall, and a few seasons thorough use of the
Albion will completely rid a farmofweeds.
It is also just the thing for fitting fall
plowed land for spring crops, or where
oats or spring grains are sown on corn
stubble, this will fit the ground better
than plowing. Whin the ground is
plowed in the spring it is cold and not in
as good condition for crops as when it has
been exposed td the sun and air. The Albion works the ground on top, where it is
warm and in the right condition for the
grain to sprout and grow rapidly, thoroughly pulverizing and making it like  a
your Harrow, going over the stubble once,
and then sowing with your seeder, and
rolling the ground. The balance of the
field was plowed, harrowed twice, then
sown with drill and rolled. We
took particular pains to notice and
compare those sown with your harrow
and seeder, with the others during the
season of growth and when harvested,
and we were not ablo to discover any difference in growth or yield. One seemed
as good as the other, and while we were
not able to thresh them separately, the
harvested shocks indicated little or no
difference in yield from those sown with
the drill on plowed ground. The advan-
age of the harrow is seen in the less labor
required in fitting the ground, and on account of working the surface bnly,ground
can be prepared and will be fit for the seed
some days earlier than if plowed. The
work and results with your Harrow, in
this test, exceeded our expectations. As
a  corn   Cultivator,    my foreman,   who
Albion Spring Tooth Cultivator by the Albion M'f'g Co., Albion, Mich.
become
■• a swamp of weeds,* which goto
garden. Then they can be sown much
earlier, so that they can get the benefit of
the April showers, and are beyond the
reach of harm before the dry weather
comes, thus insuring a good crop. It is
also much better for the land. How
many times in clay soil is the ground injured by plowing when it is too wet, in
the hurry to get it ready to sow oats, but
the same ground was dry enough on top
to work without injury, and with the Albion could have been fitted and the oats
sown in time, without injuring the land.
Then it is a great saving in expense, twice
over. Will fit any ordinary corn stubble
and by putting on the seeder attachment
the grain can be sown at the same time.
In this way ten acres can be fitted and
sown in 2 days, while to plow, harrow and
sow the grain would require about 8 days,
making a saving of nearly three fourths
the labor. A very severe test was made
the past season on the Michigan State Agricultural Farm, and corn stubble that
was plowed and drilled gave no better results than where it was simply gone over
twice with the Albion. We herewith give
Prof. Johnson's letter, who is well known
to our readers:
Albion Mfg. Co.:—Your favor of December 27th at hand. Keply has been delayed
on account of my absence. The Spring-
Tooth Cultivator that you sent us in
April, '87, has given the best of satisfaction. We were plowing a 23-acre field of
corn stubble for oats, when it came. We
prepared 4 acres on one side of the field—
a fair average of the field, so far as conditions of fertility were concerned—with
bas n»d large experience in corn
culture says: "For the first 3 or 4
cultivations the Albion Cultivator excels    any    implement    I    ever    saw."
The ground is all  cut and  thoroughly
pulverized.   I  have for  many  years believed and advocated "level  culture" for
corn and all hoed-field crops.   Your Cultivator cannot be excelled  in this respect.
.Aj. a Spring-Tooth Cultivator we found it
invaluable in preparing our wheat fields.
It is an implement that needs  only to be
used to commend it to any good farmer.
Sam'i_ Joiikson.
<   Prof, of Agriculture.
Agricultural  College,   P. O*, Ingham Co.,
Mich., January 5, 1888.
A large number of farmers, put Jn their
Oats the same way the past season, and all
report as good and in most cases decidedly
better crops,demonstrating beyond a question, this is by far the best way.
As this combines in one machine
A riding corn cultivator costing
from ?25to$35
A pulverizer  or wheel   harrow
costing from - - - 30 to 45
Andaseederordrillcostingfrom  45 to  65
.   Making a total of      -      -      §100   S145
while the  Albion as  a corn  cultivator and pulverizer or wheel harrow only costs       -      -      -      -      f45
and with the seeder attached      - 65
makes it a saving of nearly half the cost
besides the annoyance of storing and
keeping in-repair all these separate machines. ' Having Spring-teeth it can be
used on stony, grubby or. new: ground,
and yet they are stiffenough so they will
dig up the hardest ground making it practical everywhere. With so many advantages it conld not help being popular, and
although almost a new machine it has the
largest trade of any cultivator on the
market to-day. It is a wonderful record
when it is remembered that the great cultivator factories of the West have been
long years building up their trade. The
secret of its success lies in tbe fact that it
is tbe representative tool of level cultivation, which the great corn raisers of the
West are fully convinced, is the only system to adopt.
 .   a  .	
Swedish Oats.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Has he struck your part of the country,
brother farmer—the Swedish oats man?
The benefactor of the poor farmer? Yes,
he is "working in the interest of the poor
farmer," hence he wlll not sell a bushel of
his oats for any money; but will furnish
you either two or four bushels. You are
to sow the same in good order, and when
threshed deliver to some man in business
at your town one-half of the amount
raised, from the seed furnished. And
further, you ate not allowed to sell your
half for less than $1 50 per bushel, until
after a certain time. "Now come, let us
reason together." He claims they will
yield from 60 to 80 bushels per acre.
Well now, let us see what the poor farmer
pays for his seed. Take his lowest estimate
—CO bushels, and the poor farmer pays 30
bushels of oats for two bushels, or at the
average price per bushel, 30 cents, he pays
?9 for his two bushels of seed, and at the
stipulated price, $1 50, he pays, ?45 for his
two bushels of seed. You can get any of
the "crack" oats, of any of the seedsmen,
for about, ?2 per bushel. Now, where does
the "friend to the poor farmer appear?"
Young Farmer.  *
Noblesville, March 5.
Something About Corn Culture.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
As it is nearing the season for corn
planting some hints about the way of
tending corn, may not come amiss. A
good time to plow corn ground is in the
autumn or fore part of winter, but if
something prevents fall plowing, plow as
early as possible in the spring, but never
stir ground when wet, as it will affect it
through the entire season. Plant with
some good two horse planter, as corn
planted in this way will come up more
evenly. When you can see the corn well
across the field it is time to cultivate. If
the ground is rough or the season dry the
first implement to be used is a good field
roller. A description of how to make oi.e
that is cheap and durable, I will give
some other time. Roll your ground, then
go the same way with a small bull tongue
plow, stirring thoroughly and close to the
young corn. If tho season is still dry roll
again. After this, cultivate crosswise
with small plows, as they are preferable
to large ones. But if the ground is foul
and the weeds getahead, use large shovels
both waj s to cover up the weeds. Before
seeding to wheat itis best to level down
with small plows, as It leaves the ground
In better condition for clover. There is
much more on the subject to be said at
some future time. M. H.
Condition of Fruit Buds.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In my plum grove of 600 trees there are
16 varieties. All have a full set of fruit
buds, and but two varieties received any
damage from the winter. My Lombard
buds are mostly killed and Damsons are
much injured. On none of my trees,
neither the wood nor fruit buds have
come through the winter in a better condition than the Kelsey, Japan and the Si-
moni, and these promise to be early bearers, to which I look with great interest.
Greencastle. J. B. J.