Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1879 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

Seasonable Hints. [From the Rural New Yorker.) Plans made in the two past month are now ready for execution, in whole or in part. The sun is getting higher, and his rays more penetrating. Thia stimulates activity in all out-door work. The melting snow and lengthening days of March infuse life into every human being if he has a spark of vitality left in him. Select Trees and Plants—Almost every farm would be more valuable if it contained a few more fruit trees and grape vines of certain desirable varieties. For a choice of varieties, consult the reports of fruit growers in your immediate vicinity. Every farm, even every village lot, should have some grape vines. How many there are without this luxury. There is a sort of mystery about grape vines, which troubles beginners and often keeps them from planting. Select Garden Seeds. —Procure seeds early from a reliable source if you have not saved a full supply. Plan the garden and have everything ready, on the approaching spring, for manual labor. Sow clover seed, and, to insure a good catch, put on a fine-toothed harrow. This may seem to injure the wheat, but shut up your eyes and go ahead. Leave a strip without harrowing and you will be convinced it pays to harrow wheat in the spring. Pruning Apple Trees. —This may be done on warm days. There are often good rules for pruning trees, some of which the fanner is likely to ignore. In severe climates, do not try to make the head very open like an inverted umbrella. Thin out small limbs around the outside of the top rather than near the center or about the large limbs. Trim moderately every year, and not heavily once in three or more years. Make it a rule to cut off no limbs over an inch in diameter. Cellars. —Sort over the fruit and vegetables, and carry out everything which is decayed. The odor of rotted vegetables penetrates the cracks of the floor and the carpet above, and carries disease and sickness to the people who dwell there. It is customary to have a cellar under the house, but there are objections to such a custom. Ventilate the cellar when the air is cool and dry, and close it in the warmest part of the day, and on all wet, warm days. Give the walls a good heavy coat of whitewash. The Health.—The warm days of spring, mixed with sudden cold snaps and raw winds, are the most trying part of the year to the health of farmers. The appetite should not be stimulated. Winter clothing should not be given up. In sloppy weather, the feet need especial care. Cold, wet feet are the cause of many ills. In some way, keep the feet warm and dry. It will often be well to change the stockings during the day for a pair that are dry. Warm weather relaxes the system, and man and teams feel less able to do hard work than in steady cold weather. A Change of Business. —Just now pork is low and sheep are looking better. We have heard numerous inquiries for sheep,, and know of men who are bound to get rid of their hogs at any price. There are many farmers who always buy at the highest price in the dearest times and sell off when there is a depression. Pork will not always be so low. It is a good time to buy improved swine and give them a good chance. It is probably a good time to sell part of the sheep if they will bring an extra price. The farmer generally does the best who keeps the even tenor of his way, paying little regard to the “ ups-and-downs ” of certain articles or lines of business. Live Stock. —The sight of bare ground and the approach of milder weather, and the long, monotonous diet of dry feed make all kinds of stock long for a change. If allowed, they will work for hours on an old meadow or pasture where there is the least chance for a taste of green grass. They should be kept from these fields, as they tread them full of holes, damage the grass, lose their appetite, and get nothing which is valuable to them. Let off the surface-water and keep the yards dry, if possible. In such times never feed on the ground, but in stalls or racks. The changing weather of spring “ between hay and grass ” is a critical one for most kinds of animals. Several well-littered box-stalls are convenient, and almost a necessity for brood mares and cows in calf. Such animals should be well fed, though not highly fed. They need a little oil-cake, bran, shorts or roots to keep them in the best condition.