Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-04-10

April Notes for All.
The busiest season of the year has
come and calls for the husbandmen's
redoubled efforts and for concentra-
ton of all his energies. Intelligent
labor with the help of good tools, on
ly can do the work properly, and the
want of both is very prolific source
of disappointment and failure in the
farming business. Farming by proxy
hardly ever pays, because it is SO
difficult to get labor, which combines
intelligence with willingness. When
you get such labor, you have found
treasure worth keeping. 1t is never
advisable to lay out your work on a
large scale, when you have to rely on
untried help to do it.
AS simple an operation as blowing
the land seems to be, may be done ia
every degree between right and
wrong.
Plow well, harrow we'll and often,
plant we'll, cultivate well and you will
be doing well.
Poor indeed is the farmer whose
land is poor. Better work for your
neighbor by the day than cultivate
land on which you cannot, with a rea
sonable degree of certainty, expect to
grow profitable crop
Early-sown oats have the best
chances in an average season, In o
general way it is a good practice to
divide the field in strips and sow each
as soon as plowed and narrowed.
The barnyard needs o thorough
cleaning Draw out all the manure
to the field where needed, then care
fully scrape the yard and top-dress
your meadows or garden with these
scrapings Afterwards cover the
yard again with straw, muck, or other
absorbents.
Keep the stock out of young clover
lots. Cows often lose all relish for
their hay after getting taste of green
food. This may save hay for the pre-
sent, but you lose more than its value
in milk, and diminish greatly the
quantity of hay or pasture which you
will get from lot injured by the ami
mails hoofs and close-gnawing teeth.
Invite the birds to your orchard by
providing them with boxes fastened
in the trees for breeding places. De
stroy the nests of the tent catterpil--
lar. Spray apple and poor trees with
a weak Paris green solution, which
will dispose of the Cooling moth and
other injurious insects.
Clean house and cellar Remove
all rubbish. Burn brush and old
weed stalks. Open the sewer pipes,
and keep them so. Let fresh air and
sunshine into the house. Fruit acids,
like lemon juice, are a cheap and eff
fective spring tonic. Use plenty ssof
them.
Give your children the opportunity
to have flower bed They want it
and will take good care of it. Get a
package of Pansy seed, Phlox, VERDE
ma, or Aster for them, and make them
happy.
Keep on setting hens Chickens
will come handy by and by, and all
pullets which are Matched this and
forepart of next month viii make ear
ly winters layers. Guard against lice
and hen spiders Give the roosts
another thorough soaking with kero-
sene. Feed the chicks often, say eve
ry two or three hours through the
day. Keep sloppy food away from
them. Let them learn to eat millet
seed, whole wheat, sugar cane seed,
etc, at an early age.
Stop grumbling about the weather,
hard times, low prices, and all other
things which you have no power to
change. Do your part well, as well
as you can and know how, and trust
to Nature and kind Providence to
take care of you in the future as you
have been taken care of in the past