Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-11-26
Picked Up.


The season of harvest is closed,
and most OF the substantial farmers
have drawn their large chairs up to
the fire, and have turned matters
over to the "boys,' who are depend
ed on to run the farm until spring.
This is comfortable, for the farmers
and well for the boys, but there many
things yet to be done to have matters
in full readiness for the winter when
it shall come. First, look to the
barn. We published recently short
article on the effect of cold tattcn-
ing which was full OF truth and timely
suggestions. 1t is well understood
how much less food will be required
to winter an animal in comfortable
quarters than if they were housed in
cold buildings. See that the stable
is securely battened, to prevent the
wind and snow from blowing in up
on horses and stock, during the cold
nights near at hand. The cost is
slight, and the return for the outlay
is ample. Any boy of ordinary I'M
derstanding can drive nail and put
the battens in their places. The
broken windows should be replaced
or patched, and sliding doors should
have new strips put down for them
to run in if the old ones are worn or
broken. Examine the roof and when
leaks are discovered put in new
shingles. This is important in the
sheds where the wagons, racks and
other tools are stored. The leaking
Of the roof upon farm tools is nearly
as injurious as if they are exposed
out of doors during the winter, and
there is no good reason why a shed
should not have as tight roof as
the house. While the ground is soft
and pliable, see that the fence posts
about the place are Strengthened up.
This is work usually lett until spring
when there is u press of other work,
but it should be done in the fall. If
well set up and the wires frightened,
Il wire fence will stand up we'll
through the winter, and the pastures
be in readiness to receive the stock
when the grass starts fresh and
sweet. This work should be done at
once.
1t is too often the case that the
corn stalks are allowed to become
wet and remain upon the ground
after the corn is taken off. They
should not be allowed to become
moldy, but set up in compact stacks
that will shed the rain. If these
stalks are cut up into pieces an inch
long, wet, and little meal and salt
sprinkled upon them, they are eaten
with avidity by all kinds OF stock,
and form a diet that the hog will
thrive upon.
House the tools, put the hoes,
chains, rakes, plows, harrows, and
moving machines under cover; and
it will not injure them il they have
upon their metal parts good coat
of oil. Take the grindstone from
under the apple tree and put it in
the shed. 1t is also good plan to
issue a manifesto declaring war on
the vermin about the barn and house
as well. n reliable authority esti
mates that it costs $40 to winter 4
good, ablebodied rat-about us much
as it does to tatten a hog. At this
season Of the year they are, like men,
always hungry, and will eat food
that in the winter or summer they
would not touch, and they can thus
be easier caught or poisoned now
than any other season of the year.
A good poison tor rats or mice is to
take squills powder, mix it with lard,
and spread it on slices of bread and
place it in their runways under the
barn floor or in the granary. One
rat killed now will reduce your stock
next spring by twenty. In word,
try to find something to dc rather
than sit by the fire and rejoice that
there Is nothing now to be done that
the boys can't do till spring.