The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-21
EVERY DAY THOUGHTS ABOUT
EVERY DAY WORK.
ssy q Young Farmer.

own how l should welcome such weather
as this at this season, after the harvest was
over. 1t is just the thing for making i'm
provements that are needed on almost
every farm that know OF, and 1t is good
time to make them now. Helps very plen-
~ now, and willing to work for low wages.
| had not an idea how plenty it was until
new road was begun in this neighborhood
short time ago, since when the roads have
been full of men looking for work, and, al
though it is hard work at low wages, there
are dozen applicants for every one VINO
can be put at the work. Farmers should
take advantage of such times as these, and
give work to those who need it, and try to
do many Of those things that ought to be
done, but which we cannot afford as well
to do when wages are high
Haven't you one or two meadows That
need draining? In such weather as this as
much can be done ut such work now as IN
the summer, when days are longer hope
it does not need any long argument to
convince YOU of tho need of under-drain-
ing those low meadows. 1t has been ably
and cloquenty urgci upon you by the agri-
cultural papers by the speakers at your
county fairs; aud the arguments are such
that you cannot dispute them, while in al
most every town there are meadows that
have been drained, where you can see the
benefits of it and the profits of 1t. But
there arc many more meadows that now
bear nothing but bog grass or swamp bush
es, which would, if properly under drained,
yield the best grass upon your farms, and,
being the rich deposit of countless centuries,
would yield heavy crops for many years,
without the continual necessity OF breaking
up and cultivating, manuring and rcsceding
every few years, as VIC must do with tue
light soil OF our hill-tops. Such meadows
when once drained are always sure of
crop, whether they are in grass or under
cultivation \ wet season docs not drown
out the crop, for the drains carry of the
surplus water, and they do not scorch up in
II drouth,
Then there are these fields where the
worms mas dc such havoc last summer. Ii
you woui pillow them up now, they would
be in much better order - plant next year,
to put grass seed upHt in the spring, than
they will be if you wan until spring before
ynn pillow them. Those bushes aud birches
IN the pasture are covering up the land
where tn pws oo at to find good grace,
and if you would cut them down and dig
thcm up aad burn them, root and branch,
and next spring harrow the ground over
aud sow a little rye and grass secl. Ono
matter If it is only lie sweepngs of the barn
floor, you could iul as well keep one or
two more cows next summer. Then those
ridges along the walls where the harrow has
been turned one way so many times, and
which grows only luAutiated crops ofwecds
that tell of rich soil underneath that returns
you no profit, cab Le carted into the yards,
or into heaps where they can be taken into
the yards next spring after the manure is
taken out. Those old stone walls want TO
he rebuilt. Those heaps o.. stone want to
be put ont of the way, and if you dig out
some Of those boys and bury the stones
there, you can make good land there, in
stead of unsightly and unwholesome pools
Of s.agnant water. Then the wild cherry
trees and other worthless trees and shrubs
that grow along the walls of your meadows
should be cut away, or dug up. Ifyou
want q hedge row Of evergreens anywhere
to break the cold winds off your house.
your garden, your barn or yards, or to make
q lee for the cattle when in the pasture,
row is good time to set them. IfyOu can
not afford to buy them from the nursery,
dig them in your woods or pastures. There
are many kinds that will answer snch pur-
pose. Though you do no more than pillow
furrow and set in small trees a foot high,
you will find in q few years that you have
made n great improvement. While you
are about it, also put in II few shade trees
around the house, if you have not plenty
there. Don't set them too near the build
ings so as to shade the roof and rot the
shingles, and keep the house always damp,
as did those who set the trees around the
house where | live, but at u little distance
away. Our forests afford plenty of trees
that are sufficiently ornamental to set in any
place-the maple, ash, elm, or even the
oak, are fine shade trees when well grown.
tI,al ,n1Ao G. &l,n,,, 1,rvn
the trees at few feet distance, and let them
freeze, and quite large, well-grown trees
can be moved, especially upon sled, with
out injury. l think they will do better if
moved SO in winter than if they are moved
in warm weather, when the earth around
them cannot be moved with them as it may
when frozen in ball.
Then there is that sandy or gravely hill
in the pasture. q have never seen your
farm, hut if there Is an hundred acres of it
in New England, l know there is such a
PLACID where the grasshoppers cannot cross
unless they carry their provisions with
them.)
1t is worthless as it Is. Scarcely any
amount of manuring and cultivation could
make grass grow on it, for there is no soil
Yet have seen just such spots made val
liable with no more trouble than just the
IuTrOWiup OUT us IL lUr COru anu oettlllS III
of pine trees about one or two feet high,
about as far apart as corn hills. With a
wagon with roomy body and shovel, n
man can take up hundred such young
pines in short time in many pasture
where they are only in the way, and can
set them as quickly.
A few years growth will max, good pine
grove on land that is fit for nothing else
On every farm there nre plenty of such
jobs that can be done with but little cost,
and that only for labor that would add very
much to the value of the farm. Jobs that
would make it look better, sell quicker for
a larger price and produce more with less
labor If / owned this farm which l am
on and had the tenth part Of the capital
which the owner has to work with, l could
keep twenty men at work this winter, and
for an outlay of one thousand dollars could
add five thousand dollars to the actual value
# the farm
Nor are these all the jobs that farmers
can find to keep their time probably en-
ployed in the winter. Many people who
know but little about farming think that
farmers have nothing TO do from fall to
spring but throw their cattle n little hay
twice day and sit by the fire the rest OF
the time. And too many farmers do not
hhu hluch else 10 90, Dut such ones are
usually complaining that Charming don't
pay If there is a convenient work room
with few tools such as should be on every
farm, there is plenty of work to be done
under cover in all rainy weather to keep
more than one man busy on any farm where
any business is done. just look around
there is new shaft needed in that wagon,
those rakes want npW teeth, lhnse blows
ought to be secured up and oiled, you need
new whiilletree for blowing, new barrow
frame, q marker for making corn rows,
handcart or u wheelbarrow, those harnesse,
need mending and cleaning and oiing, and
your wife can find you few jobs dare
say; a button on this door, Il lock on tina
one, hinge on the gate, shelf for he
house nlnnta q inhln To mend or 4 box L