Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1880 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

(From the American Agriculturiet, for November.] Turnips may be left longest before digging, but repeated freezing makes them pithy and innutritions. Soft roots and hollow ones, which cannot be pitted, are profitably fed to either pigs, sheep, or young cattle, and also to cows that are dry. Rainy-day work is painting and cleaning of'tools, oiling and mending of harness, cutting kindling wood and such like jobs upon every farm. Buildings may be repaired andpainted, if that has not been already done. The season is favorable for painting, as very little dust and no insects are likely to adhere to the paint. Draining upon upland may now be prosecuted more conveniently than at any other season of the year. Labor can be* hired cheaply, and the work can be rushed if desirable. Never lay these drains less than three and a half feet deep, if it can be helped. Thrashing must be done generally when you can get the thrasher—so it is well to speak for it in season. The sooner grain is thrashed the more there will lie of it. It should, however, be thoroughly dry. Small farmers will improve rainy days as they come by thrashing by hand. Pitting Roots.—Trenches four feet wide and two feet deep are of a size well suited to either a moderate or severe winter. If put in too large heaps, or too deep pits, roots heat, and, of course, do not do well. Cover with straw, and lightly with earth, patted down to shed rain, and ventilate well. Root-tops and small roots may be fed to cows and young' stock quite freely, before they heat, which they will do quickly, if in heaps. It is well to lay them on the north side of some building, where they will not become sundried, for thus they will be kept much longer than in any other way. Manure and Compost.—The season is still favorable for the growth of the compost heap. Weeds and all sorts of hedgerow rubbish ought to be burnt, for the seeds are ripe, and we can not depend on their germinating in the compost heap. Grassy sods, the tops of the roots which can not be fed out, leaves, and wood or swamp mould, and all such things add both bulk and value to the heap. Horses, though they may still be kept at pasture, if desirable, should have a shed at least to retreat to during hard storms. Do not work them at all on the road if they have colds or the prevalent influenza, absurdly called “epizooty,” the best cure for which is a warm, airy stable, and perfect rest, although they ought to have a good ran in the pasture during the warmest part of every day. Ditching. —Should the season continue dry, ditching in the swamps is in order. In muck swamps dig the main ditches deeper and broader than necessary, say two or three feet vide at the bottom, and eight or ten at the top, and throw out the muck on one side and freeze until spring, while the tussocks and sods are thrown by themselves, to be burned next summer when thoroughly dry. Neglected Work. —Should any of the proper work of last month have been neglected, such as sowing winter grain, husking corn, etc., it may perhaps still be done. Corn-husking may be done at any time. Rye may be sown as long as there is a prospect of a fortnight of open weather. Wheat sown in November often does well, so if the ground is prepared your plans need not be changed, for the probabilities are in favor of good crops, though late sowing has nothing to recommend it. Beets and mangels are protected by their broad leaves from frosts which would otherwise injure them and cause them to decay; but as soon as the leaves r.r • wilted the growth of the root is checked, and they should be harvested and pitted at once*. The same is true of carrots. They bear very little freezing, and the frosting of the leaves is the signal for rapid gathering. One of the most convenient methods is to plow a furrow close to the row—and run a subsoil plow close on the other side. The carrots may then be pulled unbroken, and with perfect ease. Poultry.—The poultry year cnlmi nates this mouth. With plenty of corn, and something to pick up in the fields, poultrv increase rapidly in weight, and. should be forced so long as the weather remains moderate. When the thermometer goes lower and lower, they will stop gaining suddenly, and hardly hold their own, though consuming more feed. Of course that would be the time to kill if every body would not kill at once. Those who have warm, airy houses for their poultry can profitably hold on to them until the reaction comes and prices rise; but those who watch the market may take advantage of fluctuations as they come at any time.