Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-04-22
Farm Work for April.

APlH approaches, DdlHly april Iull OF promise,
full ofhope The OK will move in the furrow;
the two-year-ods will begin to be accustomed
to the yoke; and the boys will have their hands
full to keep them in the track.
Wake up now as soon as the birds call yc,
and you will burn the less oil in the evening
Sunlight costs less than candle light, and the
prudent are always aware of it. Feed your cat
tie well and they will earn you great deal be-
fore planting is done,
Ploughing and sowing should be attended to
as soon as the ground permits. You will not
plough wet land, or any green sward for planting
till the grass has become so green as to rot i'm
Imediatey, and so high as to make half good
dressing for your corn Your green sward in
tended for potatoes was all ploughed in October,
and will need narrowing only before itis planted.
If you plant potatoes on sward land ploughed in
the spring they will lack moisture through the
season and will give small harvest.
Wheat, and rye, and barley, and oats, must be
sown as early as the ground will permit Late
sown English grain grows too rapidly; the stalk
is too weak and thin, and it is liable to split in
July and let out the life blood of the plant Oats
will bear later sowing than rye but late oats are
never so heavy as the early sown.
TWICE PLoUGHING.
E Phinney, Esq, of Lexington, once ventured
to say, in public address, that we plough too
often, He was not for ploughing unless he had
something green to bury under the sod, and he
was for keeping the green sod down for year or
two, at least, after turning. 1t is true we may
plough too much. Plain fields that can be thor
oughly ploughed, should not be turned up again.
But rough grounds want to be ploughed and
crOcS I,lf tIrhad IN 6t tbon, G,r ,,1nnt;1r
Grounds that were in corn last season and are
now to bear grain should be managed with dis
cretion If they are ploughed clean twice the
old stalks and litter are turned again to the sur
face and are not only in the way, but they are
not in a position to be converted into manure.
1t is better then to harrow down the Indian hills,
or to split them open with a small plough first
and then harrow them than to plough the land
clean at first. When the field can be well plough
ed, therefore, it should never be turned up again
till the matter which was buried has had time to
rot Rough fields are necessarily treated differ
emily.
viii some farmer in Mddesex try the en-
pertinent Of narrowing his winter rye as soon as
the frost is out! We believe that Bunker Hill
and Lexington, and Concord have men who
might dare to try. One acre may first be put UNI
der the April harrow Just for the Joke. An old
! smooth toothed harrow would not root up one plant
in hundred in case the the team is not driven
fast Will not the advantage to be gained by
loosening the ground and filling up all the little
crevices made by the winter frost, overbaance the
slight injury that might be done to some of the
blades or rootsl We say all the crevices for the
harrow will loosen earth enough for the first rains
to complete the business. On the banks of the
Connecticut river it is common practice to har-
row fields sown with rye.
Many years ago we heard of careless farmer
who left his oxen where they strayed, with har-
row hltched to them, across his field of winter
rye. He concluded he had lost one breadth at
least and he suspected it had spoiled his whole
field; yet he was too much in arrears to plough
up the whole field and SOW it again, and he let it
take its chance. AT reaping time the track made
by the harrow was found to bear the best rye.
The careless farmer called it goood luck; yet as
his oxen never served him so a second time g. he
was not always so lucky, This same farmer u.s.
ed to laugh heartily every time he heard the
story of going to mill with stone in one end
Of the bag to balance the grain in the other end.
j lie said, eve manage better now"
HOW MUCH SEED PER ACRE?
One and halt bushels OF ofrye-do Of wheat
= three bushels of oats-and two and half OF
= barley are believed to be the usual quantities for
spring sowing in New England. Englishmen
SOW more seed than we do. Some of us SOW
four bushels of oats, and some but two Some
SOW two bushels of barley. When grass seed is
sown among the grain, it is not good to have the
I grain very thick.
Plaster ought to be sown early in April, and
then it may be expected to operate for three years
When it is not sown till June, it will not have
much effect the first season.
All the manure that is to be used for planting
\ should be overhauled in april, to promote fer.
mentatlon. lift is thrown up light, in piles, il
will soon heat If you work it over a second
! time it will be fine enough for the fed-Mass
I PIorghman.