The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-12-28
AGRICULTURAL.
Winter Work.

On most farms it means doing chores
and getting up wood. The chores take
up nearly half of the time on many
farms especially when the cattle have
to be watered out of doors. In very
cold, snowy and windy weather it is
quite an undertaking TO water lot of
cattle in brook at any dittance from
the barn, and we do not believe there
is q man who has to do this but thinks
he will try to have water indoors be.
fore another winter. Cattle do not
like to go out in the awful storms
which sweep over the north, and it in
lures them greatly to do so. One way
to get water into barn is to pump it
in, but it is always best if possible to
have the water run into the house and
barn. The writer has spent good
many hours pumping water into barn
for stock. In this case the well was
some eighty feet deep, force pump
was placed in the bottom of the well,
and the water was elevated 80 that it
would run through pipe into barrel
in the barn. 1t was an hours job to
pump for twenty head of cattle when
they had dry fodder, when the fodder
was moist, it did not take half of the
time. Silage saves lots of water.
The manure problem looms up in
the winter. The quickest way with it
is to have barn cellar, and simply
drop it down. The poorest way is TO
throw it out under the caves of the
barn where every rain wastes it, every
snow adds to it's bulk, and where there
is nothing but loss from the hour it is
thrown out until it is put on the field.
The best way to dispose of the manure
is to mix cow and horse manure with
all the bedding, throw it into covered
place where it will not freeze, prefer
ably into box on sled or wagon and
haul to the field as soon as a load is
made. Begin as soon as snow begins
and roll roads through the fields keep
ing this up so as to have good roads to
the fields where the manure is to be
spread. 1t makes work but it saves
work. 1t is not to do in the spring,
and all the value of the manure is in
the soil. Some question whether there
is not a lose, but practice does not show
it in northern New England whatever
may be the result elsewhere.
Another part of the work in winter
is the handling of snow, and some win
tiers this takes good deal of time. 1t
is now very common to use rollers and
spike tooth harrows of the kind known
as smoothing harrows to keep open the
the winter roads. Some roll not only
the highways, but the sugar orchard
roads 80 they are all ready to use in
the spring. Those living on the main
roads where the town furnishes a team
and roller and the roads are kept open
without any work of the citizens, know
little of what it is to live back as many
prosperous farmers do, and have to
keep open half mile or more of road
to the main road. Sometimes track
can be kept where the wind sweeps
the snow off clean, but often parts of
it are where the wind piles up huge
drifts and that makes much hard work.
But wind breaks and wire fences can
often be used to mitigate the evils OF
such drifting roads.
Cutting and drawing wood are a
most important part of winters work.
When there is little or no snow on the
ground and it is lot too cold, there is
no more enjoyable work than cutting
logs in the woods, but when the snow
gets deep it is hard work to do, and
they are wise men who have the years
supply of wood cut in the fall ready to
be hauled up as soon as there is little
snow. Then the wood can be sawed
carly and split at the farmers leisure