The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-11-05
Getting Ready for Winter.


and sometimes into December, before
severe frosts occur naturally causes |
many farmers to put off work necessary |
to be done before winter fairly sets in. |
The consequence is that cellars and pits |
or banks of potatoes and other roots are |
often caught without sufficient protec
ton; stock are unprovided with proper
shelter; often the supply of dry fuel is so
low as to cause positive DISTRESS corn
remains unhusked; and other necessary
labors are left undone, which require
double and treble the labor to perform in
freezing weather. Stock often shrink to
such degree, before shelter is made
good, that they never recover during the
winter.
The Western Rural has already directed
the attention of its readers to the neces
sity Of arranging for the performance of
labor beforehand; this is one of the
things that shows the business farmer.
Next to this is knowing how to do the
work in the easiest manner. In the
securing of potatoes in pits or banks, for
instance, there is vast difference be-
tween the right and the wrong way. We
have known potatoes to freeze solid be-
meath two feet of earth, when the inter
position OF a good layer of straw after
eight inches had been put on, with eight
inches more of earth over that, would
have held them entirely secure Our
| plan has always been to dig not more
than eighteen inches, even in the dryest
soil, protect with long straw or slough
| hay, pile the potatoes above ground into
as high a ridge as they could be piled up,
| cover with hay or straw, then put on
eight inches Of EARTH allowing vcntila-
ton. Just before freezing weather
| another layer of straw or chaff is added,
when eight inches more of earth and the
| addition Of little coarse horse manure
over all will save them securely from any
weather that has ever occurred in the
latitude OF Northern Illinois or Southern
Wisconsin.
This covering, however, would be too
close for many of the root crops, as tur-
| nips, ruta- bagas or parsnips These
must have ventilation to carry off the
notwithstanding steam and gas,
| else they will either rot or grow; for
roots of this class leave the ventilation
| perfect until the frost has entered the
covering of earth Of, say, eight or ten
inches to depth of about one-half its
thickness. Then cover with heavy
coat of litter, horse manure or other
| light substance, and put on only earth
enough to keep it in place the object
being to chill the roots to about or even
to the freezing point. Turnips may be
considerably frozen, rutabagas may be
frozen still more, and parsnips may be
frozen solid without injury, if only the
air and the light be kept from them until
| thawed out. Beets and carrots are in
| iured if any more than chilled, say if the
degree of cold in the pit reaches below
twenty-five.
/ Another labor that must be attended
to is blowing such land in the proper
season where the intention is 10 destroy
| insect ova and Larvae therein. If this be
the intention, the later it is delayed the
better; but if the object be to fit the land
Tor spring crops, and especially if the
object be to SOW it with small grain,
| then the earlier it is plowed the better
And, in either COCO, tho rousher the
| ground is left, the work being in all cases
thoroughly performed, the more perfect
will be the results which, as rule, will
| follow.
lnclemcnt weather may be protitably
occupied in arranging the stables, taking
apart, oiling or repairing, or painting i'm
plements and machinery, reglazing
broken windows, and the various other
things that must constantly suggest
themselves 10 the reflective mind One
thing in this connection is worth especial
attention. In arranging the stables,
while the most ample ventilation should
be provided for fine weather, this should
be so arranged that the building may be
closed as perfectly tight as may be when
the stable is of wood, for during the high
winds that sweep over the prairie region
air enough will be forced through the
minutest crevices to be ample for the
stock. The more equable you can keep the
temperature in your stable and yet
secure a fair quantity of fresh air, the
more cheaply will the stock winter 1t |
should always be remembered that if |
stock be allowed to fall away in the late |
fall and early winter it will be found |
difficult TO bring them back thereafter
WesterW RANaL