Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-04-12
Head Work in Farming.

1t is surprising how much muscular labor
! is wasted every year. which might be saved,
or better directed. This is true in all kinds
Of business, and not the least in farming
For instance how many farmers toll on,
year alter year, with scanty or imperfect i'm
plements Of husbandry. The modern i'm.
provements, which save much labor, and do
the work cheaper and better they will have
nothing to do with. Improved varieties Of
seed, they hold to be almost without excep-
tion, humbugs. Draining and subsoil plow-
ing are ranked In the same catalogue, they
are labor lost; but manuring cold wet lands,
and ploughing them late in summer few in.
ches deep gathering scanty crops-this is not
labor lost Rotation of crops, and manur-
ing lands with reference to the grain or roots
to be grown on them, they consider some-
thing like book -farming-a very dangerous
thing
We never could see why farmers should
not think for themselves, and be able to give
a satisfactory reason for every process they
undertake. We never could sec why they
should not endeavor to improve in all farm
ing operations, to learn the very best way of
doing everything, and then TO do it SO. 1t is
told Of certain backwoods' farmer, who had
not yet found me to clear the stumps from
his fields, that his boys complained bitterly
OF their troubles in blowing and narrowing,
the old fashioned drag especially troubled
them by its frequent overturnings while
plunging among the stumps, and needing to
be set right side up at every few lods.-
Boys said the enraged farmer one day,
take that harrow over to the blacksmith,
and tell him to make all the teeth twice
their present length, aud sharp at both ends,
and we'll see what thatl do The thug
was done and now it pointed both ways,
like those Of IL revolving rake. Gee up,
Bill now 60 along; But, father, it has
upset again, as bad as before Never mind,
boy; 60 right ahead, it will work we'll either
side up. See, now what comes from little
thinking And sure enough il did work, and
:he field was narrowed in spite of the stumps.
We might have selected a more digni6ed ex.
ample of the use Of head work, but this home
ly story will answer our purpose.
In the matter of rotation Of crops, there
is need of forethought and management
Some farmers neglect to manure largely, be-
cause of its responsiveness; they would like
to underdrain more extensively, and to sub
sell pillow their lands, if these things did not
cost more time, labor and money than they
think they can spare. But it costs no more
to follow a good system Of rotation of crops
than it does to carry on farm without any
such plan. Yet such system may bring
the farmer three-fold greater and better
crops. Nor in devisiDg such plan, has he
got to depend entirely on his own experience
or sagacity. Books and agricultural jour-
nails are at hand, containing the result of 9TH
or mems experience, and all he has to do is
to adapt such information to the wants of his
own case. A very little head work of this
sort would pay WE'LL 1t would pay in clean
cultivation. Chess, red-root, quack grass,
Canada thistes, butter cups, daisies, and
what not, would hide their heads, and grubs,
wire-worms, and all manner of insects would
rapidly diminish, if not wholly disappear.
1t would pay in the increased aud prolonged
fertility of the land, and in more bouutitul
crops.