Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-28
A farmers Memorandum Book.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote
that it is ga capital plan to carry a tab
let with you and take notes." Probably
he had no thought of farmers when he
wrote this; nevertheless it is a capital
plan for a farmer to carry a notebook
with him, and write down everything
which he sees necessary to be done.
The big jobs will get done, usually,
without any trouble. but the little ones,
which are often quite important, get
put off, or forgotten when there is time
to attend to them. A single board off
the fence may let cattle in, to the great
damage of crops. A fixed stone, found
when you were blowing, if it is not taken
out or sunk, may break some expensive
tool at a time when you + in a hurry.
A coat of paint on the rims of those
wagon-wheels may prevent the tires
getting loose, and a breakdown in har-
vest or haying time. These are small
matters, if they are attended to in time,
and it a easily be done if they are
only thought of.
Ihope every farmer reader will take
. notebook and pencil on the next
rainy or idle day, and go through every
lot on the farm and write down every
thing he sees which needs doing, and
then 60 through the barn and among the
tools and about the house, not forget
ting to visit the cellar. You may be
surprised to see what a dumber of things
you will get down on your book. When
you get a full list, add to it as you may
see something more, and cross out after
tho 1Nhc howe hoon o<knnl1l 10 To s.
well to have two lists-one of things
that must be done as soon as possible,
and another of things you would like to
have done when there is time, but about
which there is no particular hurry.
You will hardly need to put down
"planting corn" or ''cutting wheat"
for you will not be likely to forget such
work, but when the weather breaks you
off of these big or leading jobs, you
will see how handy it is to open your
book and have right before you a list of
everything which needs doing, or which
you would like to have done, on the
farm.
From this list you can quickly select
the work most appropriate to the
Weather, or which is most urgent. 1t is
very much pleasanter, I know, not to
leave a big job until it is done, but the
weather IS often such that we are
obliged to stop, and much Of the profit
of farming comes from going right at
something else without delay. Nothing
helps more to prevent loss of time than
having every job which must be done.
or which you would like to have done,
written down in a book carried in your
side pocket. If you aver get these jobs
all done up, and get out of work, you
will be different from me. Some things
have been carried over on my books for
years, but their turn will come eventu-
ally. One can do a good deal in the
way of permanent improvements, on the
farm, withthe regular farm force, at odd
spells, if he only has the work laid out
ready for the odd spells, and when they
come goes right at it.
In this notebook, which I have beer
writing about, it will be a very good
plan, in the winter when you are not
busy, to write out a programme of the
account with your crops in previous
years, rs you ought to have done, 20,
a tell very nearly how long each jot
will take. You will then be able tt
adjust your crops to the labor you car
command, or to hire labor to fit the
crops you wish to raise. When you SET
a carefully prepared timetable before
you, you may notice that you have
twice as much work laid out for July a
you can possibly do with your regular
help, and can make a change, which
will ave you from having to pay 81 O.
90 a day for help during that busy
season, or have your crops suffer injury
For example, you can SOW Hungarian
grass in June and cut in August, this
crop requires no attention during hay
ing and harvest time, while potatoes anG
corn will need much attention at thai
time. Although the latter crops may
be most profitable if properly cared for
a good crop of Hungarian grass may
pay better than a neglected corn o.
potato crop. To make our farming a,
profitable as possible, we ought, as
rule, to hire men by the year or season
and to SO arrange as to have steady pay
ing work for them all the time; and tx
this end this little notebook will hell
oonsiderably,-Cor Country Gentleman
Profit Of Stock Raising.
Stock RAISING Oupht tn he regarded n.