A Tour through North America by Patrick Shirreff

_Prairie Agriculture-Capital required-Crops and Prices-Wages of Labour compared with Land and Produce in Illinois and Britain-Future prospects-Sheep Husbandry-Illinois and Upper Canada-Illinois and Britain-The Canadas and Illinois estimated by the standard of Nature-Emigrant Information._

The agriculture of forest land in Illinois, is the same as in other parts of America, but is seldom followed, the cultivation of the prairie being so much more simple and profitable. It has formerly been observed, that the grasses have strong creeping roots, and that six oxen are required to plough the land for the first time. The plough which is used in breaking up the prairie has a very broad share, which cuts a turf seventeen or eighteen inches wide, by two or three in depth. The thinner the turf is cut the less grass is found to grow afterwards, which must be owing to the neck, or vital part of the plants, being near the surface. After the first ploughing the soil becomes friable, and is easily cultivated. The breaking up of the prairie is often performed by contract at $2 per acre. It is common to drop Indian corn into every third furrow of the first ploughing, and the ground is not afterwards operated upon until the crop is reaped, when it is sown with wheat, and simply harrowed. Thus two important crops are obtained by once ploughing and harrowing. A bushel of Indian corn was stated to be sufficient seed for ten acres, and half a bushel of wheat sows one acre. The first crop of Indian corn commonly yields fifty bushels per acre, and the following wheat crop twenty-five bushels. When Indian corn is not sown as a first crop, the ground is sown with wheat, which is covered by the harrow. Grass seldom springs after the land has been ploughed, and weeds do not appear for some years afterwards. When Indian corn is grown on land which has been some time cultivated, it is planted on hills four feet square, the intervals being ploughed in both directions; and a boy with a horse is capable of managing the cleaning process of fifty acres. There is but little diversity in prairie agriculture, which is almost entirely confined to the growing of wheat, oats, and Indian corn. Natural herbage affords both hay and pasturage, and the supply is at present inexhaustible. In the tract which I travelled, the seeds of clovers, or artificial grass, never had been sown. But there can be no doubt of the soil and climate being capable of producing in abundance almost every description of plant.