Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-03-10

FENCES.

FENCES.
Now is 4 good time to look over
the farm fences and find where there
is missing post, or board, or rail,
or a broken wire; and now, while
there is little else to do, the time
may be profitably employed in cut
ting, preparing, and distributing,
whatever needed, posts, rails, &C.,
for making new fences, or for re-
pairing the old ones, as soon as the
frost is out, and before the ground
is in suitable condition for seeding.
Because the fences are not needed
at this season Of the year, rs but a
poor excuse for leaving them unre-
paired, when there is plenty oftimc
to do all that there may be to do;
and when the job is done the farmer
will have the satisfaction Of feeling
it is not on his hands, and to be
done at some more busy season.
WORK HORSES.
Horses intended for use in spring
work, especially those which are to
do the blowing and have been idle,
or nearly so, during the winter, and
have had but common care, and lit
tie or no grain in their feed, should,
from now on, have extra good care
and feed, and where there is any
thing for them to do they will be alt
the better prepared for the heavy
spring work, if they are gradually
put to work, as it will tougher their
muscles and flesh, and accustom
them to the tasks before them.
THE HARNESS.
While the horses are being cared
for the thrifty farmer and teamster
will of course not overlook the har-
ness, though it is too often the case
that it is overlooked, and by not a
few who consider themselves good
and careful farmers. The harness
should always be gone over at least
once year, especially at The com
mcncement Of the spring work, and
carefully washed, and all breaks
and other damages repaired, and
then the whole thoroughly oiled
with good clean oil, neatstoot is the
best. and most commonly used.
Where there are rats intesting the
stables it is a good plan to put into
the oil before using it, liberal
quantity of cayenne pepper, and
thereby preserve the harness from
destruction by these intolerable
pests.
SEED GRAIN.
Too great precaution cannot be
used in selecting and testing the
seed to be used in the planting sea-
son; wheat should be carefully
cleaned by. running several times
through the tanning mill,and steam
enough should be applied to the
crank of the mill to blow out every
imperfect grain, for we take the
ground that, as shrewd and very
successful farmer-a Scotchman-ot
our acquaintance puts it eff you set
ducks you are bound to hatch ducks
and would not see an imperfect seed
planted or sown. 1t is very com
mon practice for farmers to sell
their good wheat and reserve the
poor for seed; and in case they have
none that is poor to sell all of their
own crop and buy of some one who
hss of poorer quality at lower
price. Were the very opposite Of
this course pursued, there would be
. far less number of crops, yielding
from four or five, up to ten bushels
of poor wheat per acre, and a cor
respondingly larger number of crops
yielding from twenty bushels up in
to the thirties, of good plump grain
per acre.
SEED CORN.
Corn intended for PLANTING should
be most carefully examined and
tested before the time for using
comes; there is probably no one
other grain grown in the West upon
the seed of which so little attention
is bestowed; saved, in most cases,
at the same time the crop is har-
vested, and thrown in pile in the
loft of the stable, where it receives
the dampness constantly ascending
from the animals, kept below, or
else put into a box or barrel and
left in any place where it will be
out of the way, and in many cases
not selected at all, except from the
crib when the time for using comes,
and then planted without testing in
the least, butts and tips all shclled
and planted alike, and in these days
it is generally done with a corn
planter, the best Of which will often
miss if not very carefully watched,
we see no reason to wonder why it
is that so many fields yield but from
twenty to thirty bushels of nubbins,
and soft corn at that. We would
not plant more than one-half Of each
ear, that half Of course to be taken
from the centre Of the ear, and the
utmost care should be taken to have
that half core from ears that will
grow when planted; then, if a full
quantity Of seed be put in and the
plants cared for afterwards, q crop
will be obtained that it will be some
satisfaction to gather, and from
which it will not be difficult to save
good seed for the next seasons use.