Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-04-17
Agrieult
April Oh the Farm.

Get IN oats now A. soon as practicable
The earlier they are sOwn the heavier they
will be Our oats are not particularly cred
liable To- They do not come up to the
legal standard of thirty-two pounds per
bushel, general rule, and the reason. in
part, is that we 10 not cultivate them prop
erly. In Scotland, with a moist climate and
good cultivation, they range from fortv-two .
to forty eight pounds to the busheI. and
though we can hardly expect to get them up
10 this weight. ought to bring them up
higher than they
We doubt the expediency Of having down
land with oats ISN'T it better to sow YOUR
oats, say early in April, cut them in July. /
plow again in August. and seed down with
grass seed in that month, or early in Sep
tember2 If could be sure Of such a
winter as the past, we should not hesitate to
advise this course, but in want Of this assur-
ance, should prefer to take our chance
The labor Is not 80 very much greater and
the amount of vegetable matter to be turned
In with the stubble in August. Is equivalent
To a pretty good coating of manure If YOU
choose To manure, YOU could spread ON the
manure now, and turn under rather shallow.
say not over five inches deep. sow on the
oats and harrow in The blowing of five
or six inches deep in August. would then
bring this manure near the surface in a de
composed condition, ready 10 feed the Young
grass and give it vigorous and thrifty
start, with a sufficient strength of root to 90
we'll through the winter
April brings the springs work fairly upon
us We cannot long sit with folded arms
over the kitchen fire. but must be up and at
work 1t Is 10 be presumed that the plan
for the summers campaign is all laid out.
and that YOU know just what is to be done
You Will not, therefore, need To lose much
time in planning out the work or in conSid-
ering what To take hold of next The ma
nure Is to be got out; the blowing is to be
done at the earliest possible moment the
kitchen garden Is To be laid out and many
of the vegetables sown planted Early
peas must 90 in now, and that parsnip bed
dug over deeply and sown just az soon ar
the ground i tit for it, If YOU laid down a
piece last fall, the clover seed ought to be
sown now The plows, the hoes. the
spades and the forks must swing with will
through the stirring months of spring Look
out for good clean seed. The weeds that
overwhelmed you last year. skimming the
cream of the profit on YOUR crops, will
threaten the same inundation this year. but
it Will not do Better attempt half as much
ground and do it well. than to suffer the
weeds to grow and ruin both land and crops
Make up your mind 10 that. IN acre well
titled and thoroughly MANFRED. will rive YOU
more real profit than two or three acres over
run with weeds No farmer afford to
grow weeds If, therefore. you have piece
that got the better of YOU last wear. and
ripened crop of weed seed. sow il with
oats or wheat, OF millet this spring, plow
it up again as soon as the crop comes off and
lay it down as soon YOU can get it clean
from weeds 1t viii cost too much 10 keep
it under the hoe. and run the risk Of another
crop of weeds this year
Don't hurry about letting the cattle out
upon the grass this month You will gain
nothing by it. There is an old saving that
March grass is poisonous to stock, which
means, we take it, that if Won let cattle out
too soon, they get a taste for grass and lose
their appetite for dry fodder and so as the
grass IL not sufficiently nutritive to support
them at present, they cease To thrive and
fall of rapidly till they can get feed enough
TO upon in May. Many a farmer makes
this mistake and thus Injuries both his grass
lands and his stock This spring will offer
unusual temptation TO this, and we hope vol.
Will make more than usual effort to avoid it
The price of farm labor Is bound to come
down, but as long it remains where it was
last year, it Is doubtful whether it will paw to
undertake many expensive improvements on
the farm Just at present. 1t NAV be as
well to drive rather close to the wind in the
early part of the season. with the idea that
any Improvements which YOU NAV have pro-
Iected Will be accomplished by and by, or
possibly another year, at far less expense.
This is a hint, not designed to discourage
efforts at permanent improvements, but to
lead To their careful consideration as to the
time of making them, in order that thew NAV
be most judiciously and cheaply done Some
kinds Of mechanical labor are dull Many
mills that have been running full blast for
the last four or five wears have had to stop
or to run ON half time This is going to set
free good deal of labor that would other
wise be so employed as not to be available
on the farm. and it will have its influence on
wages.
We have said that it 5 best to take care and
not get the stock out too early upon the new
grass We have only TO add that all kinds
of stock need greater care through this
month in order that it may come out well in
May y daily carding now is of great i'm
portance, animals that have been closely
housed all winter will be shedding their
coats few roots will be of great
service, and it YOU are likely to be short of
hay. daily feeding of cotton seed meal will
help it out and abundantly pay for the
outlay
Scrape up and apply all the manure you
can, but don't spread it over too much
ground Put it on thick and Law out to get
the biggest kind of crops rather than try to
make it go as far possible, and so half
manure and half cultivate a large surface
when you can get better crops with less
labor from small one. Do everything bet
ter than last year. and our word for it YOU III
have better results. -Massdchusetfs PIou0h-
man.