Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-09-24
Fall Work on the Farm.

The time can never arrive upon q farm
when it can be said "There is nothing more
to be done" A constant succession Of work
ever presents itself to the enterprising farmer
aud now, as the close of the year arrives
and the seasons labors would seem to be at
nm end, crowd Of important matters need
attention, which will occupy the time until
the ground is covered with snow.
The first work that should be done is to
secure comfortable shelter for the live stock
Among them should not be forgotten the far.
mer himself and his household. The incon-
veniences aud exposures necessarily incident
to the winter, may be very much ameliorated
by Judlcious preparations around the home-
stead. A closed shed for fuel is of impera.
tive necessity. A closed porch around the
kitchen door will be found great comfort to
those whose domain is bounded thereby. A
well-house should not be forgotten and
close board fence across the yard, to cut off
the north winds from the rear of the house
will be a grateful addition.
In the garden the strawberry bed and the
rhubarb roots should be well protected by a
thick coating Of litter or leaves and frame
prepared for hot-bed in the spring. An
ice.house should by all means be prepared,
and stack Of sawdust or tanbark be col.
ected and kept in dry place for use as
packing. The luxury of plentiful supply
Of ice during the summer months, not to
speak of its advantage in the dairy, can
hardly be computed in comparison with the
very trihIng labor needed to secure it.
After the homestead necessarily follow the
stables, cow-sheds, plg-pens and poultry.
roosts. What are wanted here are dryness,
warmth, cleanliness and ventilation. Each
and all are absolutely necessary to the health
of the stock and their economical keeping.
Warmth saves feed. A few boards, closing
up spaces in sheds through which the bitter
winds would blow aud the sun and rain pen
citrate, might save ton or more of feed.
But warmth should not be gained at the ex :
pense OF fresh air or ample ventilation. Cold
drafts are to be avoided, aud abrupt changes
of temperature. A much larger proportion
Of sick and ailng animals owe their diseases
to want Of shelter on the one hand, or want
of fresh air and clean quarters upon the
other, than to want OF feed. Animals in
clean, dry, airy, well.protected sh eds and
stalls are rarely troubled with ailments or
vcrmin. and thriftily repay the cost Of their
care aud keep. Neither should light be
shut out from the stables.
Cattle do not thrive so well in either very
dark or very light stables as in those in
which there is a subdued light aud a few
cheering, health-giving rays of sunshine.
Disorders Of the eye are often caused by
bringing horses suddenly out of dark sta.
BILE into the glariug sunlight when the ground
is covered with snow. The windows Of sta
bles should be at the sides, and not in full
face Of the animals. 1t will be found also
Of great advantage to make an open shed
on the north side of the barn-yard, and fenc =
ing the south, in which the stock may air
themselves in stormy weather. Preparations
for all these necessities or convenencies will
occupy much Uf the time Of the next two
months.
But there is also much to do in the field
during these two months. Probably
the most important work is the collection of
materials to add to the manure pile. The
most valuable of these materials are swamp
muck and leaf mould leaves aud hard wood
sawdust, for bedding stock; waste from tan
neries, woolen mills, breweries, aud slaugh-
ter houses. Seaweed is valuable fertilizer !;
wood ashes, waste lime, plaster from old
buildings, leather scraps, bones and almost
every refuse article add value to the compost
heap, and should be gathered from every
source. Money and labor thus spent is the
most profitable investment that can be made.
| The farmer who hesitates thus 10 invest his
money makes costly mistake, and no who
boards the price of his crops and either in-
vests in bonds or loans for the sake Of inter.
est, is very poor business man. No invest
ment is 30 safe or so profitable to the farmer
as that of the improvement of his own farm
After these matters are satisfactorily at
tended to, every other day should be devoted
to preparing for spring. Tho ground for
oats and potatoes should by all means be
plowed All stubblO should be plowed un.
der. But this season is peculiarly fitted
for the work of draining In the limits of
this article we can only point out what may
he done, leaving the modes Of doing it for
future occasion. Wherever a spring breaks
out in the field, or a spot is overgrown with
sedges, horse.tails or tussocks, there should
be staked out line in the nearest direction
TO the nearest ditch, DRAIN creek, plateau.
1t would be better if fhrrow could be run
with plow over the course by which u
more permanent mark would be made, and
one that is not easily obliterated.
In the same way the lines where bitches
may hereafter be dug for carrying of the
water that accumulates in the spring may be
marked out. Every wet spot upon the farm
should be thus marked, aud a drain there.
from to an established water-course or pond
laid out. The stones to fill these drains
should be gathered into piles so that they
may be hauled on sleds during the winter
BY such preparations as these the work oi
draining may be carried on long after the
surface is frostbound, and when the farmer
is forced to suspend altogether outdoor
labor.
We have been able but to hint at the multi.
iarous opportunities there are to improve the
condition of a farm at this season but suif,
oient has been here pointed out to dnd work
outside for all the fair days aud inside for all
the stormy ones, for the remainder of thi,
year, Ia addition TO these We have men
toned, there are many other necessary thing,
to be done that will occur TO every farmer
who reads those remarks, aud we would
urge him to lose no opportunity of prepar
ing now for the season when he must o
necessity rest from his outdoor labor
! New York Times.