The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-02-17
AGRICULTURAL.


wv,ar SHALL FARMBRs DOs
The Country Gentleman gives the fol-
lowing excellent suggestions to farmers:
What should be the aim of the farmer
in the present extraordinary position of his
business? This is very proper question
to ask at the present time, when the Ia
bors of the past season have closed, and
while some time yet remains, before the
opening Of another spring, for thorough
confederation of the subject and arrange
ment of future plans. IT,. a
The high price of almost every farm
product operates as q strong stimulant to
every farmer to make the most of bis
land; but serious obstacle is met at the
very first step by the extreme scarcity of
labor. This dilemma is very likely to lead
many to the old and Improbable curse of
skinacuhurs, unless prevented by proper
intelligence on the subject. Farmers will
be tempted, in the hope of doing all they
can with small amount of labor, to omit
practices essential to high cultivation and
success. They will try to plant and SOW
fifty acres of land with force scarcely
sufficient to 60 over thirty acres in the
best manner.
1t should be a prominent aim at the
present time to concentrate labor-not
spread it over an extended surface. The
former, if well directed, will be sure to
bring certain returns; the latter, very I'M
certain profits at best, with strong prob.
ability of failure. Cultivators, who uni
formly raise good crops, are those who are
careful never to waste labor who do not
apply manure to wet soil where it cannot
possibly afford a fair return; who avoid
planting so late that heavy groth is i'm
possible; or who undertake so many oper-
atoms that they can never properly accom-
plish any They take time blythe forelock
they refuse to begin any operations that
they cannot carry through in the best man
ner; they keep all their operations in COM
pact shape-and by good calculation, and
well-laid plans, everything is up to time.
They thus obtain more from given amount
of labor than can possibly be reached in
any other way This is the very kind of
management suited to the present emer-
gency. The farmer who is compelled to
pay two dollars day to laborers will re-
ceive more by such management than by
spreading the labor over a broad and
profitless territory.
Every one should know, long before
spring commences, precisely what he is
able to accomplish, and what he is going
to do. If contingencies are depending,
plans should be laid for each contingency.
Taking the number of days from the open
ing of spring until planting time, and al
lowing one-third at least for rainy days
and accidents, he should know by the
amount required for each days blowing,
how he will come out in his undertakings.
If he finds he has marked out too much,
he ought to reduce at once the proposed
extent of his operations. If he does not,
he will be sure, in the first place, to do
his work in hurried manner, and second
ly to plant too late-the two great leading
causes of bad farming These will be fol-
lowed by weedy crops, because he will be
behind hand all summer and his labor,
for which he pays two dollars day, will
readily cost him four or five dollars, be-
cause it will be continually applied to
disadvantage-to the wrong end of the
lever.
In the meantime everything practicable
should be done now that may interfere
with the regular order of labor after spring
opens. Fences should be repaired in open
weather, to prevent that worst of all in-
rruptions-intruding animals. A half
years fuel should be procured and pre-
pared for use. All the manure that is &C
cessible should be drawn out, and spread
in the best manner where it is intended to
be used-it will be of more value to the
coming crop for this early application, and
the ground will not be cut up and pOached
by the horses and wagon wheels used for
drawing out the manure on the soft soil of
spring; and lastly, and by no means least,
procure the very best implements, and
have them completely ready when the
campaign opens. A hoe that will enable
the laborer to accomplish fifty per cent.
more in work, will not be long in paying
for itself at present high wages. The
pillow that i. erts the soil in the best man.
ner, and runs with the least force of
.draught, will add many dollars worth of
time to the man and team who use il
through the season.
There is another very essential point to
success-and this is that every manager
should give close attention to the execu.
ton of every part of his plans. An emf
nent stock raiser made it a rule to place
his hand daily on every one of his animals.
If anything went wrong he was sure to
detset it Immediately. If any improve
meit was suggested he was was able to
see it carried out under his own inspec-
ton. The extensive farmer will not be
able to perform continued labor, for he
should witness so far as practicable the
operations of every department. And
vet if he is skillful worker, with his own
hands he can not only correct many i'm
projections in the work of his men, but
also through new life into them in cases
of emergency. The limited farmer, who
has less to oversee, may, to greater or
less degree, occupy himself with regular
labor; but still if he is an obser-
want man he will find it is better to
err by too much supervision than by 8
neglect of MANY important points inyOly-