American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-01-20
Che farmers department.
Farm Work for January.

rotation, which will enable the farmer
to carry on all his labor with clock
work regularly, to keep clean fields,
to preserve their fertility, and to pre-
vent confusion, so often resulting from
too much work for the force at par
ticular periods.
There are a number of points to
which the skilful farmer should direct
his attention, before the spring work
opens.
One of the most important is to
prepare for farm accounts, by procu-
ring suitable blank books and arran-
ging the headings. He should have
memorandum book to carry always
in his pocket, to note down anything
that occurs to him, at the moment,
and before forgotten. Each field or
crop should have page devoted to it
and all outlays and profits should be
carefully recorded. His farm should
be well laid out, measured and map
ped-which will be pleasantwinter $
task. And his granaries should be
accurately measured and graduated.
to show quickly the number of bush
els of contents. A scale for weigh
ing his domestic animals will pay for
itself every year in the information it
will afford him in relation to feeding.
He should keep accurate accounts
with all his neighbors, if he would
avoid difficulties and all his accounts
both with his fields and otherwise,
should be a model of neatness, dis
tinctness and systematic order.
Farm laborers should be hired in
season, as the best will always be en-
gagged early; and it often happens
that by paying dollar or two more
per month, a great amount in yalua-
BILE assistance will be secured-or, in
other words, the best are generally
the cheapest.
Keep all barns and sheds clean and
in order, and prevent the untidy ac-
cumulations and confusions which
some premises witness. Keep tools
under shelter, provide place for
everything and let everything be in
its place; and do not allow hens to
roost on wagons, horse-rakes and car
riages.
If corn-stalks be cut very short by
horsepower, before feeding to cattle,
a largeIamount of saving will beeffected
Let cattle and all other animals be
kept perfectly clean, comfortable and
sufficiently warm. If they occupy
sheds, great care should be taken to
prevent cold currents between the
boards, and especially under the sills
and high or other screens should pre-
vent all winds from blowing in the
front side. If kept in stables, still
greater care should be exercised to
preserve cleanliness and to provide
sufficient ventilation. Many denounce
stables for cattle on account of the
foul air and foul keeping they are
subject to; while others denounce
sheds on account of the cold currents
which sweep through them. Use the
curry-comb freely and regularly on
both cattle and horses.
Cellars under dwellings should be
frequently examined and kept scru-
pulously clean; the walls may be
white washed in winter. Where there
is danger of the ingress of frosts at
the windows, it is neiter to provide
double windows ION hinges, to hook
up, than the moro unsightly stuflings
of straw. Pick over apples in cellers
and if there is an abundant supply,
feed out those which threaten decay,
in regular quantities, to milch cows.
SHoEING HoRsEs.-W. Jones, a
veterinary surgeon of London, gives
the followig simple rules for shoeing
horses:
"1st. After having taken off the
old shoe, shorten the toe, and remove
all the dead and loose parts of the
hoof. Do not cut the sole or pare
the frog, except when the hoof has
received an injury from nail or 9TH
erwise, when it must be cut out:
"2d. Let the shoe be of equal
thickness, or rather thinner at the
heel. The ground and foot surface
should be perfectly level. The shoe
should be light on the heel. Too many
nailsare Objectionable, and should be
kept as far as possible from the heels.
|'3d. For the hind feet there is no
objection to calks, though they are of
doubtful benefit. Horses travel bet
ter without them. The hind shoes
are made thicker at the toes than at
the quarters, the nails also can be
put closer to the heels without caus-
ing inconvenience.
"4th. Side clips should be avoided,
they destroy the hoof; the same is
the case when the nails are too close
together. The feet should never be
rasped, as it destroys the enamel OF
the hoofs, renders them brittle, and
causes sandcracks, and consequently
lameness.
''5th. Expansion is fatal error
L. LII A..