Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-02-04
FARM AND GARDEN.

I
last month of winter, and the
spring, with it's hurry and rush of
work, is almost here. 1t is i'm
portant that the farmer work now as
much as possible to anticipate the oper-
ations of spring. Let this be specially
month of planning of execution
also, as far as may he. There Is q lack
of forethought on many farms, and to
this is due much of the dissatisfaction
that outcrops in the expression, "Farm-
ing does not pay Thoughtful farming
is one of the surest roads to success.
A farmer who is doing justice to his
profession should know in February just
what crop each field on his farm is to
bear during the coming season. He
should plan further than this, and by fol-
lowing q well selected system of rotation
of crops, know what that and that field
years to come. There is a relation which
one crop bears to another that all should
understand. 4 field of corn does not
grow to itself alone and the cost of
producing the crop should not all be
charged aginst it. Some crops in them
selves may not yield an income, but are
Indispensable in the cycle, on account
of their influence for good on other
crops. One of the leading errors in
American farming is lack of system,
but as the country grows older this
must pass away. The hap hazard farmer
will give place to the one who runs the
farm with the method and thoughtful
ness that is the basis of successful fac
tory operations. A farm, instead of be-
ing a vast and inexhaustible storehouse
of food, must sooner or later be looked
upon as a factory that requires careful
running, to be made to pay. There is
no better time to think of these things
than now. The whole world depends
upon the soil for its daily food and so
long as the human race lasts, farming
must be a leading form of productive
labor. Good farming pays; aud the
good farmer is contented with his work,
and pushes it forward intelligently. The
farm must be studied to see what it is
best fitted for-the farmer becoming
year by year more master of the situa-
ton, and therefore more successful.
The making of manure is one of the
most important labors of the winter sea-
son, or perhaps it should have been said
the saving of it. The value of manure
depends on several things, the leading
of which are the food given the ami
NAL; the kind, age and condition of the
animal feed; and, last but not least, the
care which the manure receives after it
has been dropped. Rich manure can
only be made from rich food; if straw
alone is fed, the manure must be poor,
as the animal adds nothing to, but in
stead extracts from, the store OF plant
food in the fodder. When oil-cakc and
grain are fed much of the nitrogen ard
phosphoric acid they contain pass
through the animals and appear in the
manure. The European farmers appre-
clate the importance of rich foods in
their influence upon the manure much
more fully than we, as is shown by the
larger expectations of our cotton n-seed
cake, where it is fed to fattening ami
mails for the sake of the manure. 1t
would be wise economy for us to retain
every ton of this rich food, and feed it
home. The less the animal has to do
the richer will be the manure. Thus a
growing animal, or one that is giving
milk, or exerting muscular power, will,
other things being equal, use up a larger
per cent. of the fertilizing elements
than one that is at ease. 1t should be
remembered that the valuable ingredi-
ents of manure are soluble, and may
be easily washed away. Therefore the
manure heap should not be exposed to
rains that will leach out and carry away
the fertilizing elements. The best
Z l. \
essential that the litter that is mixed
should become well rotted, and this will
suggest that the heap be kept in such a
state that decay will be rapid but not
wasteful. Well rotted manure may be
drawn out upon the land at any time
during the winter. and spread evenly
over the ground. If put in heaps the
covered spots will get more than their
share, and sometimes be too rich This
is good illustration of the teaching
which takes place when manure is ex-
posed TO rains. We may not have come
to that perfection in our agriculture
when we need to feed for manure but
there is no sanction-even if the soil is
rich with fertility, for letting the manure
go to waste.
This is a good reason to renovate old
orchards. The cause of the melancholy
look of many old fruit trees is partly
neglect, but mainly starvation. An i'll
shaped tree is proof that the pruning
knife has not been used properly, OF
that some other matter of attention has
been overlooked. 1t is now too late to
make the best shaped trees, but much
may still be done in this direction. The
leading thing that is usually needed in
an old orchard is feeding. It is poor
economy to ask heavy crop of grain
and another of fruit from the same
piece of ground and the man who
plants an orchard ought to feel that he
has pledged himself to grow fruit as the
leading crop on the land devoted to the
orchard, and keep off every other crop
that would iniure the growth and pro-
ductiveness af the trees. There are
many old orchards that are not worth
renOvating. There are no fixed rules
by which one may decide that an or
chard had better be renovated or de-
stroyed. Whel the trees are old, and
badly deca. ! in both trunk and
branches it Is not profitable to spend
much time ami labor upon them.
There should be a fruit garden on
every farm for the profit, health and
Enjoyment that it btngs, where well
cared for yielding succession of fruits
from early strawberry time until the
latest grapes are gone. 1t is our desire
that all who have no garden for small