The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-03-05
for the farmer.
HINTS ON SPRING WoRK.

gin To he heard.
Now Il tbe time for the farmer to exercise all
his vigilance and forethought. and to see that
every moment of time is turned to account. See
that sufficient stock of fuel is laid in at the
house for summer wants. and that the rails are
drawn and laid where they are likely to be han
dy for repairing fences. Put the feneesand gates
into repair soon rs the ground is thawed
enough 10 fix the stakes.
Have Jon a stock sf roots on hapdf Every
good farmer ought to have. Now is the time to
feed them out to the animals on the farm, espe-
eially mich cows and breeding ewes, to enable
them to give full supply of milk for their
young.
See that the yeaning ewes are separated from
the rest Of the flock, given q little extra food,
and all tags and DIRT removed from them. At
lambing time, keep them comfortably housed with
plenty of good, clean straw to lie ON, and do not
forget to let them have access to clear, pure wa
ter at all times. They require constant care at
this time, if it is desired TO raise the lambs The
ewes may be let ont into the yard every after
noon, but the lambs are better to remain in the
honse till they at least week old, strong and
healthy. All changes and exposure, especially
TO the sun and rain, injurous to them, as also
is lying OIL the cold, damp earth. The lambs will
.oou learn to eat, if little fine chopped hay or
oatmeal is placed in q shallow box or trough in
their house, while the ewes are ont, and if it is
desired to bring them forward early for the
butcher, this extra feeding will help them great
Feed the cows well, and do not let them fall
of in their milk while waiting for the grass TO
come. Give the working animals enough of such
food US will produce muscle-not fat-aud give
them moderate amount of daily exercise.
Keep the yard well Uttered with straw, and
the cattle confined to 1t. There is nothing gained
by letting them wander over the farm, making
tracks in the soft ground wherever they go.
becomes settled firmly enough to bear them with
out showing footprints half an inch deep. File
up the manure in the yard az fast as il is made,
mixing into the heap all the scrapings of the
house, fowl and sheep yards, hog pens, etc.
Pick over the potatOes, and select the largest
and soundest for seed If they are cut roll them
while lying in the cellar. 1t is said to act in
some degree as preventive of the ROT We know
of some farmers who SOW a teaspOonful of plas-
ter in each hill, or over each SET at the time of
planting, and who ascribe the freedom of their
potato crop from disease to the use Of plaster.
From the known tendency of salt to destroy fun
gold life in its early stages, We think sowing il
on the potato plant might be the means of mitiga-
ting the rot. We, however, only throw this ont
as a suggestion to those who may he willing to
try the experiment.
Sow bushel of plaster per acre on clover as
soon as the ground Is dry.
Clover and grass seeds may he sown this month
ON the snow, if on Eke-tbough they will do
as well, If not better, when sown Just after the
warm spring rains narrowing is generally un-
necessary, but light brush harrow is some
times used with advantage. Where it is desired
to ameliOrate the soil, obtain good pasturage
and plow it again in year or two, We should
SOW nothing but pure clover, at the rate of ten
to fifteen pounds per acre. Bat where perma-
nent moving meadows are desired, it is well
to SOW a mixture of equal parts of clover and
timothy, with the addition, perhaps, of some 9TH
er grasses, of such sorts as can be grown in the
Italian rye grass, or two pounds of meadow |
foxtail, or three pounds of Kentucky blue grass |
DIT four pounds of orchard grass. Clover or grass
seeds do better when sown on harley on spring |
wheat than on any other spring cop.
Roll the meadows and winter wheat as soon as |
he frost is out and the land tolerably dry. Old |
meadows will be the better for good narrowing |
n the spring, before rolling.
Do not be in too great hurry to set the pillow to
work. Let the land become dry enough to turn
'ver mellow. The surface then soon becomes
warmed, and you can now SOW Immediately.
Peas can be sown earlier than any other crop,
nd no farmer shonld be without a small field Of
i"Sa 18th The ", Sni.s v1risiss are most suitable for
best sorts of white pes we know of are the Col
len Drop and the Racehorse. Peas do well on
IN old sod plowed rather fat but not shallow.
nd the land may be sown at once and lightly
lowed or cultivated in. Three bushels per acre
) the usual allowance for seed in Canada where
eas are very successfully and extensively grown.
-fter the young plants are we'll forward, top
ressing ola mixture of ashes and plaster will be
( great benefit.
Spring wheat comes next the soil for which
ught TO be in good heart, and free from weeds
nd moisture. The land for this crop is better
D be plowed ridgy, so a. to harrow down well
yer the seed; unless a seed drill is to be used
t is more liable to smut than winter wheat, and
8 preventive of this disease, use a solution of
hree ounces of blue vtriol dissolved in quart
hot water to each bushel. Let it cool and
ben sprinkle the solution over the wheat on
be barn floor, turning it over with a shovel at
ftNVNa Wr,N.I = u !
will be ready for sowing in two or three hours
fter. Among the best sorts are the Fife, Canada
ub, Tea and italian. 1t is of great advantage
, SOW spring wheat as early as possible, provi-
ed the ground is dry and mellow; though it is
honght by some that if sown late it will more {
eadily escape the ravsges of the nudge. Two
ushels per acIe is the usual allow ano for seeding
After this, barley may be sown, the land for
hitch should be warm, rich, aud mellow, and II |
lowed the previous fall, may be sufficiently pre-
AIRED BY going ovor it twice with a two or three /
orse cultivator, and narrowing between The I
ommon two-rowed variety of barley is perbaps {
Ne most reliable fer general cultivation, though
Their sorts succeed best in particular localities
arisy does best on land that has grown corn or
not crops the previous year, and IL always re-
hires well-drained or gravelly soil, to yield
savy crops. The usual amount of seed sewu il
10 little. From two to two and half bushels
" acre is the least that should be allowed A
lend at our elbow says " If the seed is steeped n
Z twenty four hours before sowing in weak {
luton of crude nitre, which costs only about a
: or eight cents per pound, the plants will ger 2
mate rapidly and come up strong aud Of dark u
lor." After the plsnts are well cut of the a
ound, the land may be rolled With Advantage. 0
Oats usually come next after barley. but We
ink they might be sown earlier. They will "
ar being sown on undried soil in early a
ring, better than barley or spring wheat Ear. b
sown oats produce the most grain-late sown, lie
9 most straw. II oats are to be raised in low 70
b, damp meadow lands, on which they often 81
we'll, they sre better TO be sown late-say d
It before complaining The white varieties 10
oats are BEST for moist soils. Here again the 70
antity of seed usually allowed 10, in our opiu-
!, far too small; two and half to three bush u
per acre is little enough. q
me land tor corn and roots can be put in a pc
ward state az soon az the earlier spring crops ga
sown. Great care should be exercised in Az
Getting seed corn, ~ to get such kinds as vi
ture eariy.-Gezesee Farmer. LEI
Ike
Planting Peach Trees. vi
0r mach l sci