Connecticut western news., 1881-03-16
FARM AND GARDEN.
SOIL AND sEED.TIME.

farmer thought, serve as 8 guide and yet there is time in every season when a better return will be gained than at any other period, earlier or later. The wisest and most experienced farmer will sometimes fail in choosing the best time, but in general the early seeding of each crop in its season is desirable and will yield the best return. But the farmer must regard the condition of the soil as of first importance. The soil should not be worked when wet, espe- cially such as is tenacious or heavy sandy soils are less liable to injury, but any soil will produce better when work ed in @ proper condition of moisture. A heavy soil worked ill spring when wet is destroyed for the seasons crop, and will not recover it's fertility for some time after ward. When the soil is so moist that it will work into ball in the hands by squeezing 1t, and not crumble, 1t IS unfit to work, and the farmer can much better afford to let his team and plowman lie idle than to work such land, hence the proper seed time never arrives till the land is in suitable condition of moisture.
 When barley, oats, spring wheat, corn, beans, and potatoes are the com mon, spring crops, as is usual in the grain growing sections of the. North, the greatest diligence possible is essen ot %n hn hoe 1No practice for many years to fit lands and SOW barley the first in spring. AS this natures in shorter period than other grain crops, it requires all the moist cool weather of spring to give it deep root to endure the dry weather that usually follows later in the season. The first days when land is in condition to work there iszno fear in putting the seed in the ground, though cold and stormy weatheramay follow. I have had barley sowing followed by heavy snow and freezing weather with no injury to the crop. If spring wheat is grown, the earliest possible seeding is best, as it will, in almost every season, assure a better and bumper berry. The next crop,i in order, in, my practice, is oats, and though there is no objection to early sowing, there is less danger of failure from later sowing. The oat crop grows @ stronger straw and is more hardy and less liable to be shrunken than others. Different views are epter- tained as to the best time of planting potatoes. In my experience of many years the early planting has been most productive. In many seasons June planting will do we'll, but early in May is surer and less liable to injury by the beetles.
 Indian corn is the next crop demand ing attention, and no other, perhaps, more depends on 8 proper season of planting; one week of moist and warm weather is needed for good germination of seed. It is usually unsafe to plant earlier than May 10th in this climate, and from that to the 20th, is usually the best season, but when the weather is warm enough to germinate the seed 
 earlier even so early as the first day of the month, have known the best crops grown, but it is usually unsafe to put corn in the ground at that time. Early planted corn and early sown grain of any kind will as rule produce more grain to the growth of straw or stalk than late seeding, though early planting corn does not assure the largest growth, but generally shortens it. When sown for fodder corn, later seeding is better, as late as May 25th, when the soil is moist enough to germinate the seed. The bean crop is usually the last oi spring seeding. It is unsafe to plant until all danger of frost is past as 6 light frost will destroy the young germ. which entirely destroys the plant. It is not safe to plant earlier than May 25th and later is usually better time in this latitude. The first fifteen days of June are regarded as the proper seed time fol this crop.
 WATERING STooK.-Tn 0 discussion at meeting of the Marshfeld Agricul lural Society, as reported in the Massa' .chusetts Plougle1eaie, occurred the ap pended statements of experience in win. tering stock without hay:. " MT. Hersey gives each COW about sixteen pounds ot corn fodder (dried after the ears were gathered), three quarts. of Indian mea and one-half peck of apples per day, anC no hay of any description. The resul is success. MT. John Lane, of Bridge water, would not sell his sugar beets fo $5 a ton they are far better than man. gel wurzels. Feeds his COWS with abou twenty pounds cut and steamed corr fodder, about three quarts of Indial meal and one peck of steamed suga beets, and has given them no hay fo six weeks, and never saw his COWS lool I better. His hols he has given no ha for six weeks gives them corn fodde and grain.s and they are in@good condi tion.s Mr. Cushing, of Hanson, believe in Hungarian grass for COWS. Itis bet ter and more profitable to raise tha English hay. One acre will keep COW. I BEET-PULP.-Messrs. George Blanch I ard and brother, Cumberland Centre Me-, have Jersey herd, butter of whic
 is sold to one, of the leading hotels il q Boston. Beet-pulp forms part of tn ] feed, and the method and effect of it
 use is thus stated in Home Farm: 9Th milch COWS at the time of our visit .wer
 being fed on beet-pulp mixed with GU Estraw. The mixture, consisting of abou l two-thirds straw to one of pulp, was mad last fall, when it was buried in pits dug il