The Hickman courier., 1868-05-16
AGRICULTURAL.
SIZE or FARMS.

SIZE or FARMS.
II farmers who have poor farms of
large size were To curtail the dimensions
of their corn fields fifty per cent. and
expend the amount they saved in labor
in manure, they would lie enabled in a
few years, devoted to such policy. to inn
prove all their arabic lands, aud bring
Atheir entire estates into a condition of
profitable fertility. And while this would
be going on, they would find by the in
crease OF manure applied to their corn
r land, and attention TO its culture, that
I their corn crop would rather increase
than decrease. The great fault with us
all il, that We attempt to achieve too
much, and owing TO that circumstance,
fail TO achieve anything worthy Of the
character of good farmers. 1t should be
the policy and the pride of all to do
whatever We do we'll, rather than be too
ambitious of doing too much. Large
corn fields unmanured, and but half tend
ed. as is TOO often the case with many of
Us, reflect no credit upon their individual
owners, and are actually discreditable to
the husbandry of the country.
ROW TO MAKE COWS GIVE MILK.
y It o
. II you desire to get large yield OF
rich milk, give your COW three times
day water slightly warm, slightly salted,
In which bran-has been stirred at the
rate OF one quart to two gallons of water.
You will find, if you have not found
this BY daily practice, that your COW viii
gain twenty five per cent. Immediately
under the effect of it, and she will be-
some so attached to the diet as to refuse
10 drink clear water unless very thirsty,
Abut this mess she will drink almost any
time, and ask for more. The amount OF
this drink Is an ordinary water pail full
each time, morning, noon and night
Your animal will then do her best at
diseount.ns the laeteal. Four hundred
p.sInds of butter are often obtained from
..8d stock, aud instances are mentioned
where the yield was even at higher
a.;ure."
WORKING THE GROUND WHILE WET.
The temptation is often great to use
fair month for the preparation of the
soil for crops before the water is suti
ciently dried off. or drained out of it, to
warrant its being stirred at all. Thus
\, the gain of forty-eight hours in time Is
often a serious ~ thC ANiu ANt
rhe entire season Light sandy loans
Re not injured in this way, but every
4avey loam is, and a. a general rule so
any soil that ever dries in Jumps. The
lDblow presses the furrow slices into clods
which often dry Ike pressed bricks
and the treading of the teams in harrow
ing. makes bad worse, though the harrow
tears them up somewhat Even heavy
loan may be worked into light, porous,
warm seed bed If in proper condition
for blowing before being worked.
FLOWING.
Perhaps no part OF husbandry is more
familiar than plowing, and no part, as
general rule more impertectly done. The
farmers Of this country, anxious TO gain
possession OF extensive farms, generally
occupy more land than they can com
maud meaus to cultivate IN proper
manner. The consequence Is that the
plowing. Ike everything else, is done in
hurry and therefore, halt done. The
best fields are pl0wed only once, and the
hardest twice and what Is not cut up Is
said TO be covered up. and hence. ready
for the seed. This i all wrong. aud IN
fact ruinous TO the farm. The invariable
lie should be to cultivate no more land
than can be done we'll and, ia plOwing,
- repeat the process until the soil TO
he depth Of tuil deep fusrow, u re-
,luced 10 fine. me;lew tex are. whe ucr it
requires the process 10 he repeated Ien
1;i,.os or only once. The urrow ,buu ii
also be cut deep enough TO turn up and
thoroughly expose the lower part OF the
soil that mineral ingredients, capable of
=, oil of
plants NAV be exposed to the action of
the air moisture, &C., and thus fitted for
the action of the roots of living vegsta
bles Such piowing continued for lew
wears. with due care in the addition of
proper substances as mannures wall con-
y.rt almost all soil into fine mellow
loan. which is the state so desirable to
very agriculturist. The advantages of
- wing the soil in such condition are,
bt it affords the greatest facility for
{ extension of the young roots, and
tore readily yields to them its nourish-
ng qualities; that it more readily abb
lorbs the water which falls on its sur
4 face, and thereby prevents it from injur
ing the tender plants; and it also be
comes fit for cultivation much earlier in
the spring than soil has been left in a
hard and compact state; and finally its
lnnse, porous texture prevents it from
becoming baked hard and dry in the
season of drought, aud it allows the
niaisture from the subsoil below to rise
M<6gh it, TO sustain vegetation on the
sdfhce. All soils should be plowed from
eix to twelve inches deep, for the roots
oi many plants naturally penetrate even
deeper than this.