National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-08-15
Farm, Garden and Household.
brains In Farming.

Though n man adds something eacl
year TO his bank account it does no
follow, rs matter of course. that he i
good farmer The annual surplu
may represent worn-out wife, SOM
prematurely old from excessive labor
and land so impoverished that Ions
period Of generous and costly tillag,
will be required to restore its wasteo
worth.
There is large class Of farmers who
despise alike book learning and book
farming. They pride themselves in do
ing Just as their fathers and grandfath'
ers, 3 ynerations back, have done. Their
cattle resemble Pharaoh's lean kline,
and their pigs are fit companions for
their cattle. This class is almost always
poor and in debt i'll luck is with them
perpetual and lifelong complaint
They are to be ptied and if possible
aroused TO n better mode of life.
Another class of farmers, and among
them are some of our noblest citizens,
satisfied that their fathers have not pur-
sued the best modes of culture, are
making praiseworthy efforts to improve
ments. They are the men who originate
and support our Farmers Clubs who
get up and attend Farmers Conven-
tions, who read and pay for Agricul.
tural papers, and who are supporters of
County and State Fairs. They would
be right if they only knew exactly which
way Is the right one, but the knowledge
they derive from their journals is so i'm
perfect, the peculiarities OF their soil,
climate, and circumstances, are such
that they must depend on their own
knowledge and Judgment in directing
the management of their affairs. The
great want of these men is n thorou gil
knowledge of their soil, its capabilities,
its adaptation to different crops, the
kind, quantities, qualities of manure
best suited to the various crops, and the
best modes of cultivating them; the
kinds of stoch st adapted to different
localities, the best methods of draining
off surplus water in very wet season,
and OF protecting crops from injury by
drouth in very dry one. When this
knowledge is attained the farmer will
not plant field with wheat that should
have corn planted in it, or seed down
to grass, when plowed crops, well
MANFRED for two or three years, would
be better. He will )t buy Short Horns
when Ayrshires or Jerseys are what
he really needs He will know Just how
to improve his breeds of sheep and
hogs just what fruits will flourish best
on his soil and in his locality, and in
general be relieved from all guess work
in his decisions as to his most judicous
course. Though we are manifestly i'm
proving in the science of cultivation,
not year passes that we may not count
up mis- stakes, and sometimes they are
serious ones. Last season was, on the
whole, the most profitable one that !
ever had, yet my guessing wrong i'll one
matter cost me some hundreds of dol
lars, and in another point where l came
very near guessing wrong, but did final
ly decide right, the mistake, if | had
made it, would have cost me over n
thousand dollars. IL. Il. H., Kings Co.,
N. y.
What the Farmer Must Know.
The farmer, like the business man,
must know what he is doing he must
have some pretty decided ideas of what
lie is to accomplish-in fact, he must
calculate it before hand.
He must know his soil-that of each
sort; not only the top, but the sub
soil.
He must also know what grain and
grass are adapted to each.
He must know when is the best time
to work them, whether they need sum-
mer following.
He must know the condition in which
the ground must be when plowed, 80
that 1T be not too wet nor too dry.
He must know that some grain re-
quires earlier sowing than others, and
what these grains are.
He must know that it will pay to have
machinery to help him MS well as
muscle.
He must know about stock and man.
ures, and the cultivation of trees and
small fruits, and many other things. In
word, he must know what expert
enced, observing farmers know, to be
sure of success. Then he will not guess
will not run such risks.
Cure for Collie ia Horses and Mules.
To cure collie in the ordinary medical
prepare good "colc drench thus ::
lake tlnctuTe oI opium, one ounce
sulphuric ether, half an ounce; mix
with pint of tepid water. If neces-
sary, repeat in half an hour A much
better way to relieve the horse is the
application of a fomenting bandage to
the abdomen. In winter wet wooden
blanket with hot water, wringit slightly,
and apply to the abdomen, bring the
ends up over the back and fasten. If
the weather be very cold, put dry
blanket over this to keep it from cool
ing too fast. In the summer apply n
blanket wet in cool water. This foment-
ing blanket will relieve the horse in n
few minutes, by determining internal
heat to the surface. We have found in
summer almost instant relief to the
horse from lying down in the water.