Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-05-13
From the Cultivator.
WORK FOR THE MONTH.

WORK FOR THE MONTH. I
May is very busy month with the teams !
of the farmer, and they should therefore re-
ceive extra attention and care. In feeding
animals, one fact should not be lost sight of,
which is, that animals fed on vegetables, such
as hay and grass, receive the most carbon,
and therefore take on fat, and increase in
bulk, as carbon is the base of all oils, fat,
&C., while animals fed on grain receive the
most nitrogen, which forms the base of the
muscular part of animals, and gives them
their power and endurance. The farmer
who expects his horses or oxen TO wear well
in work, must give them gram; otherwise
their flesh will be of a quality that will not
endure and however well they may look at
the commencement oflabor, their flesh, with
out muscular consistence and frmncss, will
go like spring frost.
If you wish to raise your calves, you may
do it without keeping them on new milk.
Diminish gradually the quantity of new milk
sucked by them, or fed 10 them, and SUBJ
stitute skinned milk with little meal stirred
in. Treated in this way, very good calves
may be grown, and the new milk saved for
butter.
Farmers are too negligent as to the kind
of cows they keep. There are many cows
which do not pay to the owner the expense
of keeping them, and occasion an annual
loss. Ii costs no more to keep "A COW that
will average nine or ten quarts day, than
one that will average only six or seven; and
the difference in amount would in the course
of the year be handsome profit. five es-
innate the cost of keeping COW at twenty
five dollars, we shall find that if a COW gives
six quarts per day, the loss in keeping it will
he ST IS. If the yield is eight quarts per
day, then the profit will be about 50. If
the milk is len quarts per day, the profit will
be Sl1 IS. Now is the time to ascertain
whether your cows are worth keeping or
not, and the farmer should look well to this
part of his husbandry.
Nav is the month in which Indian corn
should be planted; and the importance of
> this crop to the farmer should induce the
greatest care 10 secure good growth. 1t is
generally planted in hills and as this allows
of culture both ways, it is generally preferred,
but a greater number Of plants can be put
on an acre if planted in drills and most of
the great crops which have been grown in
the country have been produced in this way.
Corn will bear heavy manuring; and TO this
D crop and roots the barnyard manure should
he applied, rather than directlvto grain crops
> Dunging in the hill is bad practice, though
corn may sometimes succeed when SC
II planted. Many pieces of corn so planted
!, failed entirely last year, as it will feel droul
much sooner than when the manure is scat
u tered and incorporated with the whole soil
n If the soil IS deep and friable, killing il
;; verse than useless but on hard soils, ant
u those inclining 10 wet, billing is advisable
e These should never be made narrow, blu
broad and flat, for the bnnetlt of the roots
= Soaking in saltpelre, in vitriol, copperas
t tarrng and plastering, and various other con
> trivances have been resorted to, to keep OF
" worms, birds, &C., sometimes with success
:, but perhaps oftener without. There is al
, advantage, however, in some of these prepa
J., rations, particularly the saltpetre and tn
J" plaster, as IA more rapid and vigorous growt
}" is impaired, which places the plant soone
III out Of danger. A bushcl Of lime, bush'
le of ashes, and bushel Of plaster, mixed to
o, ee,hcr, and handful dropped in the hill a
~ the time of planting is an excellent aPPca
ton, and will frequently save. the crop iron
III the worm, as well as add materially to tn
-, amount of the crop. The plants must b
III kent free from weeds, the earth between tn
nc rows light and loose; and for this purpose
y, the cultivator is one of The best OF nipple
~ ments. The rows of corn, and indeed OF "A
'r' other plants, where practicable, should b
hc planted north and south; as in tins way, tn
en- plants receive the benefit Of the sun in NOR
ay directions than one. The distance Of tn
D. hills must depend in great measure on tn
ct, kind of corn planted. Our common norther
IN varieties require about three feet each way
ar three or four stalks in hill in drills, III
re rows three feet apart, the stalks in the row
IS one foot apart, or two together at eightee
on inches. There is less attention paid to III
"a manner of planting corn than almost an
lis thing else and the consequence is, some
OF the seeds are six inches deep, and others Mt
u more than two, the corn comes up unequal.
" and a good crop can scarcely be expecte
Not more than three, nor less than two lnch'
Ie' in depth is the best for corn and the cart
should be pressed upon the seed with Il
'se hoe, as it will facilitate and equallze the ge
~ minaton.
Perhaps more failures from bad seed o.
''e cur with corn than any other crop; al
eP nroporiona,e care should be used in the 81
o. lection. 1t is good plan, where any don
~ or uncertainty exists, to test the seed |
y" sprouting a given number Of kernels, al
there should always be liberal supply
y seed used, since all but the number require
As, can, and should be pulled out at hoeIn
ca The kinds of corn used at the South al
; West are the white gourd seed varieties,
ed the North, the smaller and earlier yello
e'- and white kinds. The Dution, Brown, RI
Blaze, the several varieties OF Canada whit
and yellows, are all highly esteemed, al
ca very productive. The earliest corn wi
ne which we are acquainted with is the Cana'
70 Dwarf.
MD The sugar beet has of late received mu
49,, attention and commentator as an object
al field culture for feeding sheep and cows, al
10, it promises to take the place OF the turn'p
~ our system of farming, the latter not ben
III ,l,n,oJ IN nur hat lrV summers,