American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-01
Spring Work.

Inc agricultural eultOr OF the WeSt
| Chester (Pa.) Republican gets off some
| rather rich advice to his farmer patrons,
about the kind of employment suitable to
the season. We copy some ofhis hints:
| As a matter of course, blowing will be
in order, and for the rapid prosecution of
which plows will be needed As soon as
the snow has disappeared sufficiently the
| farmer may gather up the plows and har-
rows left in the southeast corner of the ball
field after last fall seeding. Doubtless
they are somewhat rusty by the winters
exposure, bu. it is not necessary to scour
them, for the stiff sod will soon accom-
plish that. Doubletrees will also be in
| demand. These will be little more diff
cult to find, but they are either attached
to the rollers or are down on the potato
patch where they were last used, or per
haps they are in the hen-roost, where they
were carefully placed out of the weather
Now is good time to look up your
harness and grease them. If they need
any repairs be sure and grease them first
and then carry them to the harness maker.
If he is a member of the church he will
not swear much Potato beetles may now
be thawed out. This may be done in vari-
Gus ways With some farmers thawine
out will not be necessary, as the bugs We're
removed to the barnyard last fall with the
weeds from the potato patch, and after be
nure are now ready to be transferred to the
field for spring planting. Plant six inches
apart in shallow rows, and be sure thai
each one has two eyes. If these hints ART
attended to a sure crop is guaranteed no;
one will need replanting.
Fences which have been Frustrated by
the winter may now be propped up. 1t i
not necessary to repair them effectually ;
that may be left until a more convenien
u ,1vvo san,
fences which cannot be seen from the pub
lie railroad. The weak places will most
likely be found out by your neighbor'.
cows some night about the time your corr
is six inches high.
This is not a good month for sowing
wild oats, nor in fact oats of any kind.
The seeds of charity and hrotherly love
may, however, be sown with safety, and
ifjudiciously cultivated will yield a paying
crop This is rare kind of cereal, and
farmers are recommended to SOW none but
the pure seed.
House flies may be taken from their
nests and treated to a warm bath daily. l.
they are not we'll grown by the first OF
May you can safely conclude that there
will be poor crop this year.
Sitting hens should be looked after this
month. There is no farm produce yields
such a good return for the money invested
as spring chickens. The reason for this
is apparent. Good eggs for sitting can be
procured for thirty-five cents per dozen.
This. with a good hen, which can be OBJ
tanned for nothing, completes the outfit.
Set the hen in some Out-Of-the-way place
on thirteen eggs, never less nor more; and
always remember that an even num-
Der will not hatch. During the period
of incubation the hen will eat nothing and
therefore will be inexpensive. At the end
of three weeks, if the hen attends strictly
to business the chickens will make their
appearance. BY this time angle-wOrms
will be ripe and the young birds will feed
upon these. At the end of two months
the thirteen chickens will be ready for
market. If retailed in West Chester they
sell at thirty cents per pound; each chick
en- will weigh a pound; thirty times thir-
teen are $500 Deducting the cost of
thirteen eggs at thirty-five cents per dozen
we have remaining 1856. If the hen is
paid any wages the profits will not be so
large.
n. B-Thc eggs must all be marked
with the owners name, in black ink,
previous to sitting. 1t is sometimes pref
cradle to write the date.
Garden work comes on apace, and the
successful gardeners are those who find
the early worm-the tomato and cut-worm
variety To be a skilled gardener requires
practice and a keen eye. TO be able to
distinguish at a glance tomato-vine from
a jimson weed, or young cabbage from
halfdeveloped mullen, are points that
mark the astute horticulturist. In regard
to that staple article, peas, never plant the
trcllis kind. 1t costs more to procure the
sticks than the crop will realize in the
market. Horse-radish may be transplant
ed the last of the month, and so may beam
poles. The latter will require some little
attention in the way of watering. Plant
in rich loan soil, three feet apart each
way, and cover up the root well.