Milford chronicle., 1883-02-23
Foresight in Farming.

Every farmer should have a memo
randum- book in his pocket, in which
should be iotted down certain items Of
labor, whenever he may think about
them. Then, when he may be hesitating
as to what he or his employees can do
advantageously during some pleasant
day. the record of items will not fail to
render him valuable aid. The farmer
who does not take such thought for the
future and plan operations for weeks and
months, and sometimes for years ahead,
will always be grumbling that his week
is behind its appropriate season. Let
me illustrate by experiences from real
life:
A near neighbor@was always at the
tail end of the revolving seasons. Dur
ing winter he would so several times
with two horses and sleigh more than five
miles to the grocery store to make few
purchases; and perhaps he would take
two or three bagfuls of grain to mill.
But, in spring, when the wheeling became
about as heavy as possible, he could be
seen dragging heavy load Of grain to
mill to be ground for feed. Well, when
the sleighing was excellent his grain was
not thrashed. By-being behind, he sus-
tained losses in several ways. Rats and
mice destroyed bushels of his grain. His
domestic animals suffered and grew poor
for lack of the food and comfort which
they should have received from the straw.
If his grain had been thrashcd at the
proper time a team would have been able
to draw fifty bushels VIXEN the sleighing
was fine, with less fatigue than they
could haul ten bushels over muddy road.
Another neighbor had commenced
plowing, but soon learned that the old
stub Of a plow.point could not be made
to enter the hard places III his field, so
he hurried off to get new one. During
the winter he had been in tie city sew
eral times, when he could have purchased
the share, and thus saved half day and
ninety-fve cents for his fare on the cars.
Two weeks after his grass was fit to cut
he took out his machine, but before he
could start it he was obliged to go to the
city to procure a new knife for the cut
ter-bar, which required another half day
and ninety-five cents, besides other
losses. By being ga day behind he
failed to get his hay ready for the barn
in time to avoid damage incident to a
drenching rain. Rain continued, and the
weather continued lowering and unfavor-
able, until his crop Of hay was rendered |
almost worthless for fodder. If he had |
not been behindhand that one day, which |
was spent in fitting up his mower, every |
pound of hay could have been secured in
prime condition. That loss in the value
of his hay by being damaged by long
rain amounted to more than $40
When the vernal seed time had almost
passed neighbor Tardy woke up to a
sense of the propriety Of sowing millet .
on a few acres. So he started for the 1
city to purchase seed. But just before
it was received at his station, a long
period of wet weather set in, which rem
d red it necessary to defer. sowing until
the latter part of May. Sowing late, i'm
after long period of wet
weather, which was succeeded by a
drouth, was the cause of a light crop.
The reader can perceive, at glance,
how much one day in the winter would
have facilitated the farming operations
Of that laggard farmer, and how many
dollars would have been gained by way
Of a larger crop, if the seed had been
and ready for the soil as soon
as the ground was prepared.
"Take time by the hair, said Kos
suth. Forecast with care, say we all;
that the best returns are
to those who keep a little in advance Of
the most appropriate period 10 pillow,
SOW. cultivate and mow-S. E. T.