Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-05-14
Be Thorough.

This cold, backward spring we expect
every farmer will be in hurry, and crowd
ed with work while working his soil, and we
expect great deal Of farm work will be
sighted and only half done, and that in con.
sequence good deal of money will be lost.
In the first place, never pillow a piece of
land while it is too wet. 1t will dry down
and bake together 50 that no amount Of har-
rowing will render it as mellow and friable
as it is necessary it should be to produce
good crop. People will often leave the land
intended for hoed crops until it is wanted
for use, or pillow it in the fall and again in
the spring, while they will most unconcern-
eddy pillow their other land when every fur
row packs itself down hard and firm, with
its surface smooth and glistening as though
it had been polished. Il is not practicable
to do all the blowing in the best time, and
we would not advise any to neglect blowing
as much as possible in the fall, for time is
more valuable in spring, and many other
things are pressing. But we have seen men
hasten to start the pillow as soon as the frost
was out Of the ground or q little before, in
moist land much Of which was unfit to work,
and get in a crop of grain after a fashion,
while the ground was still so cold that con-
siderable percentage Of the seed used rotted
in the ground and that which did grow was
deprived of so much vitality as TO make
puny, sickly growth and we have seen these
same men three weeks later, when that field
was dry and in good condition to work, so
that seed sown then would produce one-third
larger crop, engaged in building fence or
some similar work which might have been
done to just as good advantage while the soil
was not suitable to work. The shrewd, care
full farmer, who uses brains as we'll as Drawn,
and carefully plans all his work beforehand,
will look to his fences the first thing in the
spring. Every rail and board which has
been removed by any cause during the win
ter will be replaced, brush fences Gf his
farm be cursed with any such) will be re-
paired, fences which are to be moved will be
moved now, the barnyard scraped up, manure
got out, or any other general work done,
rather than touch piece of wet land. Re-
member that the object in blowing is to
make deep, mellow bed for the young
roots.
Then the narrowing is of the highest i'm
portance. A field half narrowed before SOW
ing, so that it is hard and lumpY, and then
half narrowed after sowing, 50 that the grain
is only half covered, is not only disgrace
to the owner, but it is the source of heavy
loss. Thoroughly pulverire the ground be-
fore sowing grain, SO that the young plants
may fad no difficulty in sending their roots
in all directions in search Of the food which
is to noursh them and make them strong,
full headed grain. After sowing, don't half
cover the seed, and leave it, part to come up
and do vol, part to send down roots and,
halfparched, to struggle up and by-and-by
bear few kernels Of inferior grain, and part
to sprout in the first moist weather and then
dry up in the sun without growing at all.
Nothing will better repay generous treat
ment than the crops as we put them into the
soil, and in nothing else does it pay better to
4" be thorough"