Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-02-23

FOR FARMERS.
A Group Of Valuable Reflections and
suggestions.

Owing to our last years's failure,
: it makes the time all the more precious
with the farmers, and it certainly be-
hoves Us to put forth an extra effort
with our crippled and limited means
in trying to secure a bountiful crop
the present season, In making these
few remarks, we do so hoping if it
Ices no good it may do no harm.
Not that we feel at all competent to
Give advice to the farmers generally,
more than we would to have the adj
vice of others ourselves.
We are blessed with the climate,
the soil, the muscle and the brain,
and with that spirit Of enterprise that
should characterize every farmer, we
should divest ourselves of that habit
of framing excuses. They will not
till the soil, feed the little ones nor
pay taxes.
There is always sufficient work on
the farm to keep employed both mind
and body, and to become a systemat-
ic farmer an intellectual mind is as
essential as physical strength, but it
is to be hoped that the average farmer
possesses a suiiiciency of both to prove
equal to the task before him and will
employ each moment of time. If the
weather is cold We can haul and scat
ter the manure from the barn, haul
out our rails to repair fences, get the
summer wood, that it may not inter-
fere with our sowing and reaping la
bors, etc. If pleasant. we can reset
and repair fences, clean our ground,
removing the old stumps, rubbish and
rocks from the fields, work which the
timber farmer has to contend with.
Many of us have old ash-heaps and
strav-ricks that would be much more
profitable if scattered on the thinner
parts of the farm and plowed under.
Many farms have washes which
need Il early attention. The old
adage, you know, is "a stitch i'll
time saves nine Throw in some
rubbish to stop the wash and SOW
GRASS seed from one end to the other.
Let not our ambition be to see which
can wear out our farms first, but who
can improve the soil and the farm the
most. While the weather is shOwerI
and unpleasant, there is always plenty
to do in repairing farm implements
harness. cleaning the seed from the
hay-mows and preparing it to SOW
SEEING that our seed corn and seeC
oats is ready for the planting season
and many other things which neco
our attention but so seldom get it.
If the time so often idled ava!
during the winter and early sprin!
was judiciously spent in making gates
repairing tools, oiling harness, an
preparing the garden and truck
patches. there would be less complain
of the family for q want of vegetable
and a better prospect for an earl
start with the general crop and a bet
ter showing in the fall.
In order to insure success IN tn
garden and truck-patches, we shout
manure heavily and as early as pos
sible.
The next essential point is earl
and deep blowing, and lastly thoroug
culture. If these points are strict
observed, we will have plenty of veg
etables for family use and to spare.
FIVE look to our interest, eve
farmer should see that his meat-hou:
is kept darkened as much as posslbl
the meat we'll smoked and canvase
before the fly makes its dreaded a
pearance. Inregardt picked meat
about the LIST of March drain off Il
brine, boil and skim, cool and POI
back.
If we farmers were as dilligent
looking to our interest as are the M
jority Of business men, we would ha
less reason to. complain of failur
and hard times.
As a general thing our failure
raise a crop is pot the fault of t
LAND the failure generally lies wi
ourselves. If we reflect a nome
we may perhaps see wherein the ia
ure lies. Perhaps we may have plo
ed our ground too wet, Or corned
too long without clover OF grass.
perhaps we used poor seed and plal
ed too late in the spring, or perhal
having poor Enclosures, loose sto
have done the damage. Anotl
great mistake is to oyercrop OF
selves, as, thereby, we exhaust 9
mental and physical strength, a
gain comparatively little. A pr
porous farmer has little time to II
away, more especially those who c
tivate a timber farm.
Our brood stock of all kinds sho'
be well looked to. They should
well cared for, well fed and well 81
tered in bad weather, lest, if negle
ed, the offspring will be OF infer
quality. Our work stock must
well cared for to insure good work
the summer crops.
If, on account of scarcity of fe
we fail to buy it and let our stock
come poor and weak, unfit to rais'
crop, we cannot reasonably eSI
otherwise than a shortage in