The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-02-12
THE FARM AND HOME.
THE KEEPING OF THE DAILY
FARM RECORDS.
a Matter of Great Importance-How to
Tie tho Cow Properly Balanced
I:atiOns Stock Notes
and Home Hints.
Farm Records.

Farm Records.
want to suggest to those who have
never tried 1.-THE keeping of daily
records. Let me briefly mention some
thing of farm records says writer in
the Country Gentleman. It is advisa-
BILE to keep q memorandum of work
to be done as well as of work per-
formed. In little flexible diary that
may be carried. if need be, in the up
per pocket of the vest write those
matters that need o-morrow's atten-
ton. Also the matters needing atten-
ton on the following day, or on any
subsequent day thereafter place on
the pages bearing those dates.
Those OF us with the best of mem
cries sometimes let matters slip, and
much more can be accomplished with
work well planned ahead. To meet
neighbor. to collect debt to pay
bill to buy or SELL to make Or mend
each thing which you may wish or.
need to do might appear in the little
diary on its proper page under the
heading of its day and date. Many
times during the busy hours of the
day you may discover something need
ing attention; jot it down at once for
tomorrow or some convenient day.
Those who have kept an advance"
diary or memorandum will heartily
second this suggestion to others.
A record of daily doings scarcely
needs an advocate to emphasize it's i'm
portance. do not mean general
account book. which absolute neoes-
sity compels every one to keep but a
brief summary of things done during
the day. 1t takes but few moments
during an evening. + It soon becomes
an agreeable task. II you do not rec
ognize its worth at first. you will have
reason for self Equalization many times
during the year. To be able at any
time to turn to the record and know
that you can find therin all things that
have been done during the year. the
whereabouts of yourself and your men,
and the work performed on each day.
is many times of the utmost import
ance. How many. times have l heard
men wrangle and dispute over the
time of planting crop or when a
meadow was mown and the number
Of loads of hay it cut. The farmer
could have easily settled the question
by turning to his record. Many man
who sees certain crop fail to mature,
declares that he will plant it earlier
next year. when he is perhaps unable
to tell definitely when the cropin CUES
ton was planted His late cabbages
fail to head because they were set out
too late. Can he remember when he
really did set them out?
A gardener planted a half dozen
different varieties of certain vege-
table, to determine which does the
best for him. At the end of the year
can he tell when each variety was
planted, the especial care taken with
each, when each matured, and the pc
culiar excellence of each? All this
might appear in his daily record l
am. convinced that farmers should
know more about their own business;
that they should keep posted on what
they have done and are doing from
year to year. Each year will then
find a record of more work accom-
plished. and accomplished in a better
way. Our record will show us where
the error next time.
Record the experiments with crops,
with special fertilizers with cattle,
pigs Or poultry. Record the planting
and harvesting of crops. the quantity
and quality of seed and the yield per
acre. Record the varieties and guam
tity of feed given to livestock, and
the increase in flesh, milk or butter.
Record the time and money used in
constructing building fence Or ditch,
and you will find it convenient for
reference. Record tho burden OF hay
or pasture on each meadow and field.
the varieties of grass the presence of
weeds. Discover any difficulty and
make things better next year. Put
your good intentions down in your ad-
vance diary. Record the weather
each day; the temperature at morn
ing noon and evening; direction and
approximate velocity of the wind;
clouds and clear weather; rain and
sunshine. If you have a barometer,
its registry OF air pressure also. You
will soon become your own weather
prophet and can prophesy in advance
of the government bureau and with
quite as reasonable degree Of GER
tainty.
How to Tie the Cow.
The matter of tying COWS has be-
come a question of moro Importance
than the convenience of the cow