Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-11-15
FARM AND HOME.
Prenaration for Winter.

preparation TOT winter.
Good farming consists more in the
care of little things than in the ability
to manage great ones. 1t requires
what Lamartine. the French historian,
once said was the truest test of real
greatness, the capacity for attending
to details. There is, in the farmers
life, some work appropriate for every
season. The losses from doing work
out of time are exceptionally great in
all farming operations. 1t would be
hard to win success by delaying seed
ing past the proper time; but even this
were better than to leave the labors
of the year to waste for lack of effort
ut the right time to secure the crops
that have been grown. A fully grown
crop of anything has necessarily cost
good deal of money as we'll rs labor
In corn aud potatoes. which are usual
ly the latest crops to be harvested. the
cost is greater than for any of the
crops harvested earlier in the season.
There is an indefiniteness about the
time of harvesting corn especially that
leaves much leeway to tho careless or
sluggish farmer. 1t is not absolutely
ruined by exposure, though much Of
the value of the fodder is lost by leav-
ing it too long in the field. There is
also loss of the grain by ravages of
vermin and by decay. In the end the
cost of husking corn late in the season
after cold weather has come is usually
lreater than it would nave been earlier.
Aside from slower work. there is a
great discomfort in feeding stocks of
corn from under the snow. and husk-
ing when the temperature is little, if
anv. above the freezing po;nt
There are many things about the
house and barns that can be better
done early than late. While tn Srouns
is unfrozen it is comparatively easy to
make whatever additional protection
to shed or stable is needed by driving
posts down into the soil tile out.
side the building 10 be protected, fill
ing the space between with straw or
course manure. In th S way few
hours labor will often save a good
deal of feed during the winter. and in
crease the quantity and quality of
milk gwen by cows The carbona-
ceous food that in cold stable goes to
keep up animal heat is turned. in n
fully protected COW, to the increase of
the cream and butter product Of her
milk. 1t is hard to cluri cream made
in winter, mainly because so large q
proportion OF its fat has been used to
M maintain animal heat in the COW.
Where wood is mainly used for fuel,
/ enough that is well seasoned should be
ready provided to 60 through the
winter with. Green wood is cxpen-
sve in many ways. Its moisture in
stoves rusts them out more than long
use will do with dry fuel. The heat
that is requ red to turn tho water in
green wood into steam is mostly was.
ted. For this reason wood should be
prepared for the stove year in adj
vance, and in most cases winter ITSELF
when the work Of hauling can be done
on the sic Oh. is the best time TO do
this. The farmer will not allow his
busy season. either of spring seeding
or fall harvest ng. TO be numbered b.
work that might better be done in
winter.
} One of the jobs that should be done
before the coolest weather sets in {
building an icehousc. In the winter,
when the ice has TO be cut, the weather
makes it almost impossible to put up
such building. In summer. wher
the ice is most wanted. there is usual,
no time to do the work. An icehouse
put up where it can be conveniently
filled will pay well for its cost in the
preservation of meats and the GOBLIN 6
of water for use. to say nothing of it,
necessity for the creamery. No far
mer who has cows enough to max,
much butter can afford to dispense will
either the creamery or its complement
the we'll filled icehouse.
When winter itself comes there are
many days when the weather is unti
for men or teams to be on the road
1t is bad management that leave
odd jobs that must necessarily be don
than when with little forethough
this may be avoided. We know wei
enough what winter is. Why, ther
, should not everything be in read mes
so as TO make its discomforis as ittl
, as poss ble?- american Cultiuutor.