The Yale expositor., 1898-03-11
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS.
Some Up-to-Date Hints About Cul"
tivatiOn of the sCtl and Yields
Observation-Disclosures, Viticulture and
Horticulture.
Around the Farm.

Last harvest, owing to the wet wealth
er, certain fiat in one of my fields
was so wet as to measurably drown the
oats which were sown upon 1t. There
were more or less oats. however. all
through 1t, and a huge crop Of sour
grass and various sorts Of weeds.
cut and stacked it. Today the stock
prefer 1t to bright, threshed timothy
l had sown the fiat to timothy and clio
yer and wanted the land clean, which
was the chief reason for moving the
mixed oats, weeds and sour grass. /
shall never despair again of getting
some good out of even a first-class
stand of weeds.
The blanket of snow has prevented
the ground from freezing to any eX-
tent. Hence fence posts can be driven
with less labor than in the fall. The
cracks through the fields made by the
drouth see are closed. and the ground
is damp foot down or more. This is
cheering, for the cracks prevented the
How of water to the reservoirs.
In my opinion the wide-awake farm
er will keep over few hundred BUSH
els OF corn, at least until he is reason
ably sure of another sufficient crop.
Also he will save a few tons of hay.
There has been a slaughter of rab-
bits this winter beyond any other sea-
son within my knowledge. The taste
Tor fried bunny Is on the increase
among the people. l am glad of it. 1t
will save blackberry gardens and young
fruit trees, for, singular as it seems,
many farmers neglect the ounce of pre-
ventive so long in such matters that
they are compelled to use the pound Of
cure. The only objection any farmer
can have to gunners hunting rabbits in
his fields is, he don't want them to kill
his quails, and he wants them to be
careful about shooting towards stock
neighbor had two valuable Angora
goats killed this winter by careless
gunners.
In an adjacent neighborhood l am
credibly informed that some sort Of a
pest is killing off the rabbits; that
many dead ones are daily found. 1t
may be they are mistaken. The dead
rabbits are perhaps those which have
been wounded and escaped, and after
wards died. The neghborhood, how
ever, says no to this suggestion.
Renters seem determined not to pay
cash for land. They are willing TO
give a larger share of grain than hith-
erto. Some are now willing to give
half the crop. The rule hitherto for
some years has been two-fifths in the
bushel and crib and half the hay. That
is what l have rented for a number of
years past. | have made careful csti-
mates and find that, one year with an
other, l have done as well. and some
times better, than those who have
rented their land for cash. have had
one renter seven years, and he has done
as well by his portion of the farm as
| myself would have done. The great
trouble with many renters is they hog
the land over. 1t runs down under their
hands. The fences. the house, the
barn and the door-yard and orchard
look as if very poor widow lived there
and had no help whatever. This kind
Of farming makes the owner harder in
his demands than he would be if the
renter took a little pride in keeping
the place in good condition. l have no
use for slovenly renter.
EDWARD b. IIEATON.