The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1899-09-09
FARMER AND PLANTER.
WORK FOR THE SUMNER.
Many Thing4 to be Done On the
Farm While the season's Crops
Are Maturing.

hanging heavy on some hands.
If properly used, this period is ver.r
valuable. All the fencing needs look
ing after. This is the proper time for
snch work. Soon the maturing crops
will be very inviting to the cattle and
hogs, and if the fences are out of re-
pair, the more enterprising among
them will be apt to find the weak
places. Once they have succeeded,
they will repeatedly try again. This
is one place where IAN once OF preven-
ton is worth pound of cure"
The farm houses need a careful look
ing over. AS the days are long and
work slack they can be repaired at
much less cost now than next winter.
Every house should be made ready for
the crop it is intended to house.
The farm roads need looking after.
Soon you will be hauling loads over
them. Hence they should be thorough
ly prepared as to the wagon-way and
particularly as to the waterways. II
this work is well done now neither the
heavy rains of summer nor the long
rains of winter will damage them. Ii
it very costly custom which repairs
or builds roadways in the spring of the
year. Now is the time for such work.
Caring for the Tools.
AS many of the farm tools will not
be used for some time, they should be
cleaned, and all exposed parts well
painted, and then ell should be care
fully housed.
The economy of this method will
never be fully realized until you have
tried it. Tools thus cared for will not
only last much longer, but will do
much better work all the while. There
are millions lost throughout the south
every season by careless and useless
exposure of farm implements.
Cleaning Out bitches.
II is almost universal among farm
ers to do this work in the spring. A
little thought will show the folly of
this practice. Where bitches are suf
fered to collect all kinds of trash and
fill up more or less, and remain so
through the winter the soil adjacent
is soaked and soured. Hence when the
spring cleaning comes, even though
water is taken off and blowing is pos
sible, the soil not in condition to
start off the crop as it should.
Much of it is too wet. 1t is
all cold and sour. 1t breeds all kinds
of hurtful worms. The crop starts off
slow and sickly. Now, il this work be
done in August, and well done, all
growth and trash removed, the surplus
water from winter rain is promptly
carried away, and the soil is kept dry.
When spring comes the soil warns up
and the crop grows of promptly and
healthy. Again, the vast accumula-
ton of sand is avoided. The work is
very much lighter, the days longer and
the water warmer.
From every consideration this is the
time to clean out bitches.
Destroying Weed Seeds.
Every seed of a noxious weed that
natures on the farm may give trouble
next year 1t is an enemy to the farm
err. 1t is wise to prevent rather than
destroy weeds and brambles. This car
be done very largely by preventing the
growth of the seed. A few days with
mower and grass-hook and hoe will
now kill the weeds which would pro-
ducc millions of seed.
A few years of diligence will prac-
t;calIy rid the farm of many of its
worst pests, such as rag-weeds, may
pops. nettles, etc. At the same time
you add so much to the appearance of
the farm.
Caring for the Pasture.
This is feature of farming that
we have given very little study. We
are in the habit of thinking that any
piece of waste or woodland fenced and
left to the free use of cattle is a pas
turc. The practice is to select those
fields no longer profitable for cultiva-
ton for this purpose.
We have not studied how to make
good pasture. Our pastures are, gen.
orally, what they make themselves in
spite of neglect and too much stock
for the amount of food.
We should select some of our best
fields; use diligence in destroying all
useless and hurtful growth; loosen up
the soil, plant the best grazing grasses,
with an eye to having something grow
ing all the year. Heavy manuring pays
as we'll here as anywhere on the farm.
Bermuda grass will improve greatly
in every way if cultivatedand MANFRED
occasionally. BY sowing well-studied
mixtures we can greatly increase the
pasturing capacity of any piece of
land.
Now is the time to remove all briers
and weeds so as to prevent seed get
ting scattered for another CROP
Southern Cultivator.
IMAM nYOu NJ MYY0E