Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-03-17
2fsricultural Department
I. D. R. COLLINS, Editcr.
DRAWING MANUREIN WINTER.

or ten years to mani out my staDle-ma-
nure in the Winter season. [ do this
for various reasons. The first is that, at
this season of the year, we, as farmers,
are not driven with farm work, and it is
better for us and our teams to have lit
tie employment, and when our Spring
work comes on, we shall not regret to
know that the manure, or that the most
of it. has been drawn from the stables
and spread upon the farm. 1t would be
very unpleasant for me, and | presume
it is so with the most of farmers. to be
hauling out manure when | ought to be
sowing my grain or planting my corn
and potatoes, or let it lie by the barn
and waste, for the reason that [ am
backward with my Spring work and
have not had time to draw it out. We
frequently hear this complaint, and see
it demonstrated, and generally under the
above circumstances. You will also
hear grumblings or complaints of poor
crops, &c. By hauling it in the Winter
season or early Spring, the most Of this
trouble is obviated and time saved.
Many dairymen have their stables SO
constructed that they can drive their
horses and sleigh in, and draw the ma
nurc every day, and spread it upon their
fields. By managing in this way they
save hauling it over several times. and
there is less waste. Otherwise, if your
stables are not so constructed, it is but
a little more labor to draw it from the
piles or heaps at leisure intervals during
the Winter and Spring Some prefer
the last method, while others prefer the
| former.
If | wish to apply to the field that
am to plant the coming season, pillow
it in the Fall Of the year, and draw and
spread it on the surface during the Win
ter, and then during the Spring, before
it becomes hard and dry, | go over the
ground with harrow, and it becomes
thoroughly mixed with the soil, and will
be evenly distributed Otherwise, if |
should put off applying the manure un-
til planting time, it would become so
hard and dry by lying exposed to the
sun that it would be almost impossible
to thoroughly mix 1t with the SOIL
| think the manure from the horse
stable pays best to apply it as top-dress.
ing to grass land, especially newly seed
ed, although that from the cow-barn is
good also. The coarse straw from the
barn-yard applied to meadow or pasture
pays we'll. Some, perhaps, might object
to applying it in Winter, thinking thai
it could not be evenly spread, for there
would be some frozen chunks, &c. 81
; far as that is an objection, that is very
easily got along with. | take two by
four scantling, eight to twelve feet long
and put two-inch holes through it abou
one foot apart; cut some saddles o.
brush of good length and fasten tn,
butt of them in the holes in the scant
ling; attach horse to it by chain ant
whifletree, and by driving over you
grass ground where your manure is scat
tered, after heavy rain, it will pull
verize the droppings of the cattle tina
, were left there in the Fall | then soy
my grass ground with gypsum, or plas
) ter, as it is called, and that has ten
dency to keep the top-dressing moist
and l am satisfied that it pays we'll.
THE QUEEN BEE--When the queer
bee is forcibly taken away from the hive
the bees which are near her at the tim
do not appear sensible of her absence
and the labors of the hive are carried o.
as usual for time. 1t is seldom befor
. the lapse of an hour that the workin
bees begin to manifest any symptoms G
:, uneasiness. They are then observed t
? quit the larvae which they had bee
feeding, and to run about in great agita