Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-03-08
Conditions OF Farm Work This Spring.

When the bare hills begin to come ou
from under their winter covering of snow
as is now the case, il is time for farmers &c
think about and make plans for spring work
Ii is not unusual in what are termed early
seasons" for farmers TO be a-ield behind
the pillow handles the last of March; and
with the mild winter which we have had il
would not be surprising, if followed By a
soft and early spring, that such wouli occur
this season. We would not predict this. al
though present appearances might almost
tempt one to do 50. Some may say we are
| likely to have a cold and backward spring to
pay" for the mild weather of the past win
ter; but Nature, while sure to balance up
not generally pay" in that fashion. There
is no telling about this. Still
prudent farmers may be sure Nature has not
forgotten her business, and the Spring will
open ION time" Hence they will want
plans all made, the fields mapped out, the
work ready to be taken up. But we don't
need to tell farmers about this for they are
not such thonghtless class of persons as the
old almanac makers regarded them, when
for every month, and almost every week
they felt Obliged to remind them in the pages
of the calendar of work to be attended to
noIc."
Notwithstanding this the conditions which
will present themselves to farmers with the
commencement of field work this spring are
such as have not been present for many
years past when the time for the work of the
opening season has come round. There has
not been fall for many years
when so little fall work was
done as was the case last year. The con-
ditions of the season are wildly remembered
by the farmers. 1t was rain, rain. rain.
Little or no fall ploughing was done, almost
no dressing hauled out, little fall work, com
paratively, performed. The winter shut in
late it is true but all the same almost moth
| ing had been done. Hence the opening
spring will find farmers all "rowed up"
with work. They will hardly know what to
/
things at once and to accomplish two days
work in one. Fields that have usually been
ready to SOW as soon as sufficiently dried off
on the surface, are not plowed; fences that
ordinarily have been moved and set up
round a new field, are yet standing where
they were the farm dressing in
stead of being on the fields where
wanted, is in the barn cellar or yard. What
an extra amount of spring work is thus star
ing farmers in the face 1t is work, too,
which cannot be hurried. Dressing can
not be moved until the ground becomes quite
! firm-except at great injury to felis-plow-
ing cannot be done till the soil is in condition;
seed surely cannot be put in until fields are
well prepared, and they can only be prepared
after warm, drying weather has rendered
the soil friable and loose. Thu.
the period of seed time is liable to be some
what delayed the present spring; the work
is likely TO come "in a bunch" and the
farmer met by his handsfull of work for
large crew of men. The conditions which
will surround the farmers of Maine this
spring, will be such as have not been present
before for years, and such as will need good
judgment and hi Oh executive push to success
| fully carry out. During the coming few
weeks it will he well to study these condi-
tons carefully and make plans to meet them.