St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-09-09
FARMER ANDPL.ANTER.
WORK FOR THE SUMNER.

WORK FOR THE SUMNER.
Many ThtaEs to be Done on the
Farm while the Seasons Crops
Are Maturing.
The time between laying by and
gathering is near at hand or already
hanging heavy on some hands.
Ii properly used, this period is ver.'
valuable. All the fencing needs look
ing after. This is the proper time for
such work. Soon the maturing crops
will be very inviting to the cattle aud
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 ..an once of prevel-
tion is worth pound of cure"
The farm houses need careful lock-
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 fuI
the crop it is intended to house.
The farm .roasis need looking after.
Soon you will be hauling loads over
them. Hence they should be thorough
~ prepared as to the wagon-way and
particularly as to the Waterways. If
this work is well done now neither the
heavy rains of summer nor the long
ruins 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 all should be cart:
fully housed.
The economy of this method will
never be fully realized until you have
triet; it. Tools thus cared for will not
only last much longer, but will do
much better work all the while. Their
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. 4
little thought will show the folly OF
tins practice. Where bitches are SUI!
fered to collect all kinds of trash ant;
fill up more or less, and remain so
through the winter the soil adjacent
is soaked and soured. Hence when ths
spring cleaning comes, even though
water is taken off and plow;ng is pos
sibIe, 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 OF |
slow and sickly. Now, if this work b. |
done in August, and well done. al;
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 W
and the crop grows off promptly and
healthy. Again, the vast accumul:;-
tion Of sand is avoided. The work Is.
very much lighter, the days longer ard |
the water warmer.
From every consideration this is the |
time to clean out bitches.
Destroying Weed Seeds.
Every seed of a noxious weed that /
on the farm may give trouble
next year 1t is an enemy to the farm
destroy weeds and brambies. This car
BE- done very largely by preventing the
growth of the seed. A few days with /
mower and grass-hook and hoe vii;
low kill the weeds which would pro-
ducc millions of seed.
A few years of diligence will prac-
t;cally 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 ..
the farm.
CARING for the Pasture.
This is feature of farming that
We have given very little study. W.
lre 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-
lioE for this purpose.
We have not studied how to make
good pasture. Our pastures are, gen
orally, what they make themselves H.
spite of neglect and too much stock
Tor 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
ng all the year. Heavy manuring pays
IL well here as anywhere on the farm.
Bermuda grass will improve greatly
n every way if cultivatedand manurei
BY sowing well-studiei
mixtures we can greatly increase the
capacity Of any piece Of
and.
Now is the time to remove all briers
md weeds SO as to prevent seed get
ing scattered for another crop
southern CultivatOr.