Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-07-16
FARM NOTES.

Things that are desirable seldom come
to us without an effort to secure them.
Free rural mail delivery and postal saw
ings banks are no exceptions to the rule.
If farmers want them they must fight
for them, and the victory will not be
won very easily either.
Every farmer plows and cultivates.
Not every one knows why he does it.
Many know that cultivation makes crops
grow, and that is us far rs they have in
vestigated. 1t has been said by great
many that they cultivate to kill weeds
and conserve moisture, which is true as
far as it goes.
Farmers should have the convenience
of free rural mail delivery. Some of the
government officials believe it is practi-
crble, and others thiuk it can not be
adopted in remote and sparsely settled
rural districts without too great expense.
Farmers should bring every possible in
fluence to bear to secure trial, at least,
of the system.
As improvements are to be added to
the country home, don't forget to have
good, wide pOrches. These can be made
neat and tasteful, and may answer many
purposes. They give protection to the
windows, and one can leave home in the
summer without closing the windows,
and not be afraid that a rain will come
in and spoil the carpet.
One great trouble with farming be-
yond the market gardens of New Eng-
land is that it has fallen into lines so old
and so approved as to become disproved
by their commounesS. A great need
seems to be to get the industry out OF
these ruts, but the average farmer lacks
the capital, if not the enterprise, to un-
tertake any experimenting in new lines.
1t is undoubtedly fact that more
manurlal benefit is obtained on the farm
in feeding leguminops crops, such as
clover and cowpeas, rather than plowiDg
them under, but the cost Of hauling
them both ways, to and from the ban,
must be considered. When plowed un-
der green they are already evenly
"spread" over the land.
1t is noticeable fact that the irtu-
ence of horticultural conventions is on
the increase. This is perhaps largely
due to the advance being ma le in horti-
cultural education at our horticultural
colleges. The colleges are annually
turning out students and are also every
year supplying more professors as speak
ers at such meetings. In the last few
wears a distinct improvement has been
noticeable in the quality of the papers
presented. This condition should be
recognized by the great mass of farmers
and the conventions should be more
freely attended. The improvement in
travelling facilities makes this possible.
Stunted pigs are not profitable for the
owner, and show worse against their
keeper than any other bad management
on the farm. 1t is too great change to
take pigs from the sow at four weeks of
AGE or less, and feed them sour milk
alone. Nearly all of the stuuted pigs are
the result of want of care and proper
feed when weaning. Ii the milk is used
for butter the first quart or two draw
from the SOW contains little cream, and
is of more worth to feed young pigs
twice day, the first five or six days OF
their weaving than it is for butter. l
tried the experiment with one of q large
litter that was sold to different neigh
bors in the vicinity. The pig soon out
grew all the rest Of the litter and came
out ahead in the fall. Probably the real
worth of pint of milk twice day for a
week or ten days for butter would be
less than one cent day.-Exchange.