The Osceola times., 1886-03-06
BE CAUTIOUS.
why Western Farmers should Avoid Un'
dertaking Too Much.

hoo
In the West, where much smaller
number of persons are employed on
farms than in the East, the majority Of
persons undertake TO do more work
than can be properly performed. Espc-
cially is this the case on farms that are
not well improved or are not entirely
paid for The owner thinks that he
must plant and SOW many acres in order
to raise large amount of corn and
small grain that he can sell to raise
money to discharge his Indebtedness
and improve his place. In order to do
this he commences to pillow before the
ground is in suitable condition and con-
Times to plant and SOW long after the
time that these operations should be
completed. As a consequence, most OF
his crops are behind the season during
their entire period Of growth. Not un-
frequently his corn is killed or greatly
injured by the frosts, for the reason
that it was planted very late. He often
undertakes to plow more land than can
be turned by the teams he has. He
make, no allowance for rainy days.
which greatly interfere with doing farm
work in the spring. If he has been
accustomed to work on farm IN sec
tion of country where the land is hilly
or rolling he is not aware OF the time
required for level prairie land to be.
come sufficiently dry to work after
heavy rain. In his anxiety to plant and
SOW many acres, he plows land when it
is very wet, and often seeds il when il
is in a like condition. In some cases
the seed does not germinate for the
reason that the soil about it is too moist.
In other cases the corn and grain pre-
sents a sickly appearance during tho
entire season. because the ground on
which il grows was never properly pre-
pared for producing a crop, or was pre-.
pared at an unsuitable time.
Farmers in the newly-settled portions
of the West undertake TO do large
amount of work with very little help.
Labor is high, and the farmer who is
struggling to pay for his place and to
make improvements often hesitates
about employing hired men. Perhaps
he has got very small house, that does
not contain sufficient room to accom-
modatc more persons than the members
of his own family, and lives at a distance
from any place where man can obtain
board. Still he undertakes to cultivate
a garden, to raise small fruits, and,
perhaps, to keep bees, but fails in all
these operations for the reason that ha
has no time to devote to them. His field
crops require all his time from early
spring till late in the fall. He may pre-
pare some ground for a garden in the
same way that he does for ordinary
field crops, and plant some vegetable
seeds. But he has no time to devote to
the cultivation of the plants. In the
majority of cases the weeds get the start
of the vegetables, and keep it during
the entire season. As with the garden,
so with the planting of small fruits.
Runners can not be cut from straw
berry plants at the season of cutting
grass for hay or during the harvesting
of wheat, oats or flax. There is no
time for pruing grapcvines or for cut,
ting back raspberry canes. A man who
| is undertaking to do all the ordinary
work on farm has no time to devote to
bees, and the chances are that he will
not add 10 the number of his colonies.
The majority of Western farmers who
undertake to keep bees do not find them
a source of profit, partly because they
have not learned how to manage them
properly and partly for the reason that
they have no time to devote to them.
Bees need the largest amount of atten-
tion at the time when there is the most
TO be done in the fields.
The task of improving a new farm is
not a slight one. 1t is true that there
are no forests to be cleared in the prairie
regions of the West before crop can
be planted But the demands for
money are very numerous. II requires
much labor to clear up a farm that is
covered with trees, but the trees afford
materials for fencing, building and fuel.
On a prairie farm all these things must
be purchased Generally the price of
them is high. Few men who take up
piece of raw prairie nave a sufficient
number of horses to break the sod, and
the crop that can be obtained from re-
Gently turned prairie sod will scarcely
pay for the seed and harvesting. Gel
lars and wells on prairie farms are gen
orally costly on account of the stone
needed to make walls. There are
many discouragements to be sur
mounted in improving prairie farm.
II there is no considerable sum of money
to draw from the improvements must
be slowly made. Undertaking to do
too much in short time often results
in disappointment or complete failure.
Especially is this the case when the
nlace il mortoa ced. .-C ChicdgO Times,