Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-01
Che farmer.
Farm Work for April.

tnen enters resolutely upon those field labors
which must continuously occupy his attention
through the growing season, and until the ri
pened crops are gathered in, AID winter again
assumes the sway.
The labors of April 10 Che farmer are some
thing like those Of furnishing a ship for a
Dong voyage by merchant. If he furnishes
her well, puts in a liberal supply of provision
and water, secs that everything in the craft
herself is " staunch and TRIM" and that an
intelligent and resolute captain stands at the
helm, it is reasonable to indulge the hope
that she should return in good time, frcighted
with such harvest as shall yield fair pro-
fit on investments and risks.
And SO it is with the farmer. IF he is
astir carly in April, lays his plans with an
intelligent foresight, and makes every thing
"staunch and trim" for the summer voyage,
he, too, may reasonably hope for such har-
vests as shall reward his intelligence, his
skill, and his manual labor. Some of the
things which his experience or his wisdom will
suggest will be to look early after the
FENCES OF TIE FARM
AS soon as the frost is out, and before the
winds and sun have dissipated the moisture
so as to permit blowing to be done, let the
brush, rail or stone fences be put in good Or
der; not leaving " weak places" to invite
hungry animal to try his skill in getting over;
because once ouer, and gaining taste Of your
spring wheat eryeur clover, he will be strong
ly tempted to try it again and again. Make
fences strong and sure in the spring, if you
would avoid lnvasions of your fields while
making hay or cultivating green crops.
P0ACHED.
Tals Is u term often used by farmers, and
qneans, to be "trodden with deep footsteps"
What do you think, reader of the practice of
allowing cattle to roam at will over moving
land in April? Do they receive any benefit
or the land any injury?
MOVING FIELDS.
Delays in hayimg-time are expensive-to
avoid thcm visit the nowng-felds and gath
er the broken twigs from trees, stones and
rubbish of every kind. IF the cattle ran in
them last autumn, scatter their droppngs now
with u light beetle.
FLOWING.
If drying winds and warm suns have car
rled otf the excessive moisture, so that upon
turning up a spadeful of soil it will crumble
to pieces, it is pretty good evidence that he
King OF agricultural implements, the Plow,
may now be put in use. But for the benefit
of inexperienced operators, we say that they
will do we'll not to be IN a hurry. If the
soil, upon being turned up, remains fat AMI
compact. it will be difficult to remove it from
that condition during the summer. 1t will
be likely to remain in Jumps, be uncomforta-
Bile to work upon, and will not accommodate
the roots of your plants But when the land
is right, "plow deep while sluggarls sleep y
60 halfa inch deeper than last year; then
you will have loose, porous, inviting bed
for your young roots to travel and feed i'll.
Such q soil will admit heat and moisture, and
those are just what the seeds aud young germs
want,--and when the May showers come they
will descend freely among the new roots, car
lyng warmth with them, and leaving por-
stion OF moisture and ammonia as they pass
down into lower stratum. Then the young
laootets will open their mouths and feed like a
young child, and grow and send up their
stems to End new joy in the light and air
Under such condition of things the
SPRING WHEAT, OATS AND BARLEY
ought to be in the ground; but the barley
ought to be or the gravelly loan, it loves a
warm, drysh soil. Wheat and oats do bet.
ser on a soil not excessively manurcd. If
land is laid to grass with them, it is probably
better to apply only a Light dressing at the
time of sowing, and add a portion to the
young grass in the autumn following.
EARLY POTATOES.
After all that has been said in favor o
roarly peas, lettuces, cucuubers. &C., wei
doubt whether there is any vegetable more
grateful to tic palate, or more heathful to
the system, than q good mealy potatoe in
July. Well, you can have them on your Ia
Die" on the glorious Fourth" if you set
about it on the first of April. How? Bring
as many potatoes as you wish to plant into
the kitchen, or any ether ,0arm place, in box
or barrel, and sprinkle little fine loan, or
old, fine compost among them, and keep the
light out. In short fine they will sprout,
then plant them in aoarm sheltered D ace,
and on 1seao ground if possible. Or, spread
the potatoes on the grass in warm nook, and
cover chem with horse-manure deep enough
to keep them warm, and when sproutod plant
them. The soil for them should be pretty
rich, and when they are up, hoe often and
keep all the weeds down.
"A LITTLE GARDEN,
well titled, will afford world of convenient
things. Just think of it! Early asparagus
beans, beets, brussels-sprouts, cabbage, carrots
celery, cucumbcrs, chives, eggplant, horse
radish, corn, lettuce, melons, mustard, onions,
parsley, parsnips, peppers, peas, potatoes,
pumpkins, radishes, rhubaro, spitage squashes,
tomatoes, turnips, sage, sweet-majoram,
sweet-potatoes, Strawberries blackberrles, cur
rants, gooseberries, raspberries, potatoes, &c
The family may find well nigh half its sup
port from the garden during the summer and
autumn months.
GET FIELD CROPS IN EAREY.
Spring wheat, oats, barley and corn, are
better for being in as soon as the soil IS IN a
fiji condition to reciepc them. The middle of
June is early enough for milet, winter
squashes, and ruta bagas. Some delay SOW
ing carrot-sead until the last of May--our
crops succeed better when earlier sown..-
Farmer.
A REcIpE,FoR MAKING Brown Bread
will give you my recipe for making brown
bread, which l have adopted of late and find
it very good. Take two quarts of corn meal
two do. of shorts one tablespoonful of salt,
one teacup of moasses. Stew a squash or a
good pumpkin, in water sufficient to wet this
mass; pour it on boiling hot. When cool
enough, add pint of yeast and two quarts