White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1859-03-31
for tBe farmtr.
Lookine for the spring

LOOKING I0I the cptluS
The SHOWS al last begin to give way.
and we look for havoc of high waters.
TIE closeness Of the Winter has prevent
ed many Of our Valley farmers from husk-
ing out their corn, and consequently there
is much yet standing in the shock, which
= sudden thaw would be likely TO sweep
OF. But the snow may take its time IN
melting, and it is difficult to prognosti-
cate, as none of the old rules OF the wealth
or mongers seem to be in force of late.
We learn thar the young sheep are
dropping off badly. They went into the
Winter in bad order, not only low in
flesh, but somehow unaccountably diseas-
ed, and when the extreme cold weather
set in, they dropped, the hay was poor,
and the loss is rather severe. The bull
locks that we see coming up from the
Valleys fw the Eastern market, look
hearty and raTel well, but are not so
plump and leek as the droves of two or
three year ago. Many of the country
horse ms which we see in town look
thin We fear their owners stint the feed
of grain too much, in this time of poor
hay.
The wide-awake farmer is now setting
his stakes for the Spring work. The
snow has taken good care of the wheat
and rye upon the ground since Christmas,
but its custody is about over, and the
farmer had best be looking about the
fields himself See that all the gaps are
put up, and tho rails that Old Boreas
piped off in his Winter frolics, are put
back in there places, so the cattle do not
go poaching about the fields. Another
thing, as soon as the snow is off, see
that the dead burrows and bitches are
open, so the surface water will run OFF
freely, and not drown ont the tender
plants, or freeze them to death in case Of
another cold snap. Also be ready to put
up any gaps about the meadow lands
where cattle should not go while the
ground is soft.
We look for an early season and a
good one. Now brother farmer, what are
you going to do? Let us talk this mat
ter over little. You have so many acres
you can cultivate, so many in grass. so
much team, SO much help, or SO much
money to pay for help. Well, there is
that old corn field needs manure same
of that field for oats; potatoes ditto.
You have Just so much manure to be
divided around. Would it not be better
to take up few less acres-say one half
as maryland put all the manure on
them, and double the team so as to put
in the pillow ten inches or foot deep,
and have the work in smaller compass
more of it on less ground and then
if it is dry you are sure of crop, or if
it is wet you are sure of crop-Sure of
good crop any way, better in quality
and quantity both ? We hear of inven-
tions to make money plenty; this is an
invention to make land plenty, and to
keep the boys from going off West.
The Winter schools will soon close,
and the boys will be aching to do some
thing, after their long Information. (Look
in the dictionary for that word, We don't
often get so far away from the good old
Angle Saxon.) Taking it for granted
that you have already got up big wood
piles in the rough, now let the boys pitch
In and have the wood all cut and split
and housed, for the years supply. Our
elbows aud shoulder blades anG back bone
almost ache now at the thought of the
long weeks in Spring when we used to
peck away at the wood pile, while the
snow was going off, making such a nice
time to trap muskrats, and the ducks
coming back to the marshes, and the
pigeons swarming overhead, and such
good winds to fly kites Oh 4! but it is
trying on twelve or fifteen year old
boys sense of duty to keep at work
under such temptations, and not get
touch of the Spring fever, indeed it is.
As consequence of the cold weather,
you have lot of frozen potatoes in your
cellars, that do not improve by age.
Now is the time to carry them out, before
they stink You ont of house and home,
by thawing and fermentation. Also any
refuse of cabbages, turnips, or other veg
etables in the cellars, should be taken out
in season, and not left to rot and breed
sickness in the family Ohio CaltirqtOr.