The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-04-10
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD
April Framework.

April Earm.W0rk.
The month OF April in our latitude, may
be called the transition period between win
ter and spring; then all winter operations
must necessarily be closed, from lack of, or
excess of snow; and as the earth is in no
condition to be worked, the real labor on tie
farm cannot be begun. 1t may be, and
should be however, the busiest and most eff
fective season of the year; and that simply
by making it the farmers month for prepare
ton.
At the outset, as in all other undertakings,
to secure efficient work, it is necessary that
all membranes and distractions should be
removed; and therefore everything connected
with the work of winter, and not required
for agricultural operations should be cleared
away. All tools, implements, and mechani-
cal appliances used in numbering, and haul
ing wood, hay and ice, should be carefully
collected and housed; and the unfinished
work in barns, ice-house, sheds and wood
yard should be completed.
As we believe that when the agricultural
season fairly begins, the farmers work should
be purely and entirely agricultural, and not
subject to interruptions from compulsory
dealings with merchants, mechanics, or mid
dlemen; we assert therefore that if any of
his carts, plows, hoes or other implements
need to be supplied or repaired it should now
be done-giving them also thorough oiling
or coat of paint-if not too late for it to
harden. Employing the blacksmith, the
harness-maker, or the carriage maker, for an
hour at some job of making or mending, may,
and frequently does save the waste and delay
of day during the very busiest season. The
man who lives remote from railroads or water
communication and has neglected to provide
his ordinary supply of lime, ashes, gypsum,
super-phosphates or other commercial fertil-
izers, may by watching for an opportunity,
fad that heavy load may be more readily
transported over the icy roads of an April
morning, than when the earth is soft, and
the sun hot month later. 1t has almost be-
come proverb, that farmers neglect until
the last moment to procure the seed they
need for field and garden-the results of such
a practice are always detrimental to them
selves and to the dealers with whom they
trade. Seedsmen are generally unprepared to
answer sudden and late demand, and there
fore ai-e compelled to send orders to distant
places, or are tempted to rid themselves of
seeds of a doubtful or damaged char
acter. Frequently, by the delay of a
day or two, some favorable conditions of
the earth or air are lost, and seed lies in the
ground through long dEouth without ger
minating-or else is soaked by a succession
of rains, until it decays. 1t very often hap
that gardeners fail to carry an early and prof
table crop to market, or that farmers are
obliged to devote field to another use or
some undesirable crop, simply by neglecting
to do the right thing at the right time.
Before farmers can put much, if any seed
into .he ground, they have to attend to the
heavy jobs of drawing out manure and max
ing or repairing fences. The former task
severely tries the strength and endurance of
horses and oxen, from the fact that they
usually undertake it with relaxed or en-
feebled muscles, and at time when the
ground is soft, and the weather may be as
hot as midsummer. During the month of
April and sometimes earlier, by the exercise
of little foresight, many farmers who are
conveniently situated are enabled to do this
heavy transportation with their sleds on the
ice and snow. Manure may be drawn from
the yard or cellar and deposited in one heap,
or distributed wherever it is to be used, thus
saving the strength of team, anticipating,
and therefore lessening the labors of May,
and preventing moving fields from being
crossed and cut up by heavy loads.
Whenever boards, rails, posts and stakes
are seasonably prepared for fences as they
should be, they may be carried in the same
way to their proper places with the same
resulting economies. We do not assert that
every farmer without regard to location can
proftably undertake this work at such a time
or that any one will invariably find the
situation to be suitable; but that such a
course is frequently practicable, we do not
doubt, and wherever it is we.recommend it.
To our mind it is equally absurd for gen.
eral to begin campaign, or farmer the
work of spring, without a plan of opera.
tions-and therefore we repeat our former
advice, that every cultivator of the soil,
whether field or garden, now in this month
of April, should in memorandum book or
on sheet of paper, mark down each division
designed for distinct crop, and therein re-
cord the name-subsequently entering the
date of seed-sowing or planting. By this
simple method. omissions are discovered, the
names of new varieties are preserved should
they fail to grow; the memory is not bur-
dened; and completeness and unity are Sc
cured for all the operations of husbandry-
and thus an important part in the work of
spring preparation is accomplished.
Raising Calves ON Sour Milk.
often see inquiries in the papers about
raising calves on sour milk. have one now,
year old, that is estimated by good judges
to weigh 700 lbs, that never has had any
thing but hay and grass and sour milk; no
meal or roots, but has had the sour milk all
the time except about month last fall while
in fall feed. Some days he has one pailful,
and other days two pailfuls. / also have
some nice two-year-old heifers, raised on sour
milk. My stock is Dutch, and / like the
breed vely well. had a two-year-old grade
heifer that came in last September that gave
thirty pounds of milk day on pasture feed
alone, and it was so good that it made eight
pounds of butter per week.