The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-11-09
PREPARING FOR WINTER.
q Little 1srsthousht and Care WIN
oave Many . Dollar for The
TeImar.

that farming does not pay, allow . large
proportion Of their crops to waste In the
field through lack of f0rethought, and
many others store their crops in barns
and sheds that are not at all suitable.
Now is the time to look after these
things, to see that there are no leaky
roofs that will permit snow and rain to
spoil tons Of hay during the winter, and
to see that cellars and storerooms gre
made frostproof. 1t is the thoroughness
with which the farm crops are gathered
and stored that makes up the successful
financial year, declares the American
Agriculturalist. Cut corn while the
sap is still in the blades in order to have
good fodder almost eQual'in value to the
best hay. Stalks left in the field until
a severe frost comes and until the winds
have blown the blades to shreds have
very little nutriment left in them, and
cattle fed on such stalks will come
through the winter poor and thin.
While passing through Delaware and
Maryland last fall, observed that the
custom of farmers in that section is to
strip the blades from the corn stalks
from the ears down, while they are yet
green. These they cure and store in
barns for use during winter. This is an
excellent plan. If the blades are left on
the stalks until the ear ripens they be-
come so dry and tough that they contain
hardly any nutriment, and thus the fer
tility taken from the soil to produce
these blades is practically thrown away.
AS soon as the corn is cut have it
husked. Each days husking is hauled
and put in the crib. 1t is never al
lowed to remain on the ground for the
crows to feast on or snowstorm to bury.
There is no better time to crib corn than
when it is first husked. After husking
the stalks are tied in convenient bum
dies and carted to the barn or put up in
ricks or stacks, butts out to the weather.
These ricks are constructed to turn rain
and snow, and If properly put up the
fodder will keep just as well as If under
shelter.
Everything in the tool and machinery
line used on the farm should be housed
in winter. II there is no room for it in
the barns or shed, an excellent plan is
to construct shed out of poles and corn
stalks which will effectually keep the
storm from them and thus save hun.
dreds Of dollars. No one with common
sense will leave farm implements out
doors to rust and rot. Lately have
followed the practice Of cutting of old,
dead tops Of asparagus in the late au-
tumn and burning them. In this way
the tops are disposed of and a great
many weed seeds destroyed. Another
advantage is that If the asparagus has
any rust the burning of the tops destroys
much of the fungus which causes 1t.
This leaves the asparagus patch clean,
so that manure can be spread almost
any time during the winter. raise
large quantities of lima beans, and as
l sell them in the pod, it is necessary to
pick often 80 as to get marketable beans
OF before the frost comes. After frost
the vines are cut from the poles. The
poles are then taken out of the ground
and stacked, sharpened end up, to be-
kept for another season. All broken
poles are carted to the wood pile. These
remarks may seem very commonplace
to the experienced, up-to-date farmer,
but I would say to the young man just
commencing that the observance Of
these little things and the practice Of
small economies make the difference be.
tween success and failure.