Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-12-18

DECEMBER ON THE FARM.

As the years run, farm work will nor
press this month. and yet, ii the weal bet
should chance TO be mild and open, there
Will be no need of any loss OF time fDr
want of something To do. The CHORES
about the barn, in the woodshed and the
Toulouse will occupy large share of at
tentlon, and they cannot be neglected
The live stock of every kind is entirely de-
pendent upon us AT this season and the
thrift and profit OF cows, horses. sheep,
pigs and poultry will rise or fall in proper
tion to the care which they receive Some
folks think, or seem to think, that if they
give cattle enough to eat in cold weather II
is all that they can do. But as man does
not live by bread alone, the cattle that
minister to his comfort and supply his
wants do not thrive by hay alone. Hay
may keep them alive, but to secure the
thrift we must study their comfort in every
way, and this requires US to look out for
cleanliness, good air, good water and
enough OF 1t, without exposing them to
the extreme cold OF stormy weather We
think the card and the curry.eomb ought
to have exercise every day. and they agree
with cows back uncommonly we'll
change or variety of food, also, seems TO
be desirable. though there may be some
difference of opinion on this point. We
prefer TO have a few roots to feed, or
pumpkins. and if we hadn't these, we
should want to give Il small allowance of
meal or shorts, in addition 10 the regular
rations of hay. 4, to.,.-,4f
The old style of winteiing cattle in very
many il not most of our country towns
was not calculated to bring cattle out very
well in the spring. They went into the
winter usually on nothing but swale hay,
and often not very liberal supply of that.
Farmers had large NOW or two Of coarse
bog hay that they thought must be eaten
up, and they reasoned that IL was best to
get rid of it first, in the early part of the
winter, and they fed out this coarse hav,
the poorest they had, in December and
January, so as to leave the best or English
hay, TIL spring, and they usually contin-
ued TO feed the young stock with ii all
through the winter. Ii they get cattla
through alive they are apt to think them
selves lucky. 49,
In large majority of cases their stock
was poor, and not unfrequently they were
nothing but skin and bones There has
been vast Improvement in the wintering
OF stock in the last quarter of century,
and though there are cases of neglect and
bad management now, here and there.
we understand the principles of feeding
better than our fathers and grandfathers
did, and cattle, as general rule, are far
better wintered than they used to be.
They are not purpOsely left to ''toughen"
as they used to be. and so they come out
in the spring in better condition.
We do not believe it is good policy to
begin on the poorest hav first. We pre-
fer to make the transition from the fall
feed gradual, hence we would not put a
cow at once upon dry and poor hay alone
If we had not roots and dry pumpkins to
feed out. we would give good quality
OF hay at this season, or else some meal
or some shorts with it, something to keep
the animal in good condition. Store cat
tie, of course, and dry cows, can get along
u little less expensiveIy than cows in milk
but we don't helieye it pays to keep any
kind of stock in such way as to run il
down in flesh aud fat in the early part OF
winter. II Il certain amount of poor hay
must be fed out. let it come little latter
in the winter; and it is better still not to
have very large proportion of this kind
of hay to feed out.
We can continue to trim fruit trees and
TO prune grape vines. ii the weather Is not
very severe. 1t does not mateiia ially in
jure the trees to prune in cold weather.
but the work is SO exposed and SO un-
comfortable that there is risk that it will
not be done properly. Besides, when The
wood is frozen it is brittle and the cut does
not always stop where it was intended to
have it. There is therefore, some risk
OF injury. and as there Is always time
enough in the early part OF winter TO do
it properly, we prefer to select mild and
pleasant days .m ms 3 -seR
icoScLupED ON FouRrB PAsE.1