Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1919-10-24
Agricultural Notes.

Agricultural Notes.
The following paper, read at one OF
our Community Club meetings by one
Of the members, is so timely that will
give it all the space usually occupy :
A GOOD WOOD PILE
What do we mean when we say this ?
Do We mean few loads of green, or
half rotten wood, sufficient to last a
few weeks and which will smoke your
wife's eyes out when she lights the fire
to cook your meals and make you
complain when you come to your
breakfast to find 1t isn't ready or
probably cause you 70 accuse her of
oversleeping herself, when the wood
you gave her to cook with is really
the cause No This isn't what we
mean when we say this. We mean
quantity of good, dry wood, suill-
cient TO last at least twelve months and
which will burn when your wife or
daughter 90 to prepare your meals
They will not have to go to the corn
house TO get, corn cobs or break up
boards 80 put on the fire before they
can get it to burn. This is not all, a
good wood pile means. 1t is evidence
chat we have the interest and conve-
nience Of our families at heart and
that we have provided for their COM
fort during the cold Winter months
I might 90 so far as to say that a
mans thrift and interest in his family,
is in sense shown by the size and
quality of his wood pile, for, in
good many cases, if you find man
who has failed to provide a good lot
Of fire wood, you are sure to find
other evidence of his lack of interest
in his family's welfare, Visit the
farm of a thrifty up-to-date farmer,
one who loves his family and those
who are depending upon him for their
comforts, and you are sure to find at
all times good quantity of fire wood.
On the other hand, visit the farm or
home OF an indifferent man, one who
cares but little for his family's com
fort and pleasures in this life, and you
will find his crop half-worked, the
bushes growing around the turning
rows in his fields and in his fence cor
ners, his farm machinery left in the
field where he last used it, and you are
sure TO find he has left his wood pile in
the woods where it grew.
A good wood pile is a necessity to
which a good many, and might say a
large majority of us do not give the
proper attention and we do not give Ii
at the right time. Right now is the
time all of us should give this matter
of providing our fire wood our atten-
ton. A good many of us, and l can
safely say a large percentage of us
neglect to provide for our wood pile
when we should. There are several
reasons why we should get out wood
at this season of the year.
First. The days are longer now
than they are later on, and you can
get more wood cut in a day than you
can later on
Second. The roads are good and
you can haul larger loads than you
can after the ground begins to freeze
and thaw and you also eliminate the
cutting up your roads and fields and
woods, which you are sure to do when
you haul after the weather becomes
bad. These same conditions confront
us each year and yet we fail to realize
them until it is too late to overcome
Them.
Many of us will provide a few loads
of wood after we have finished our
crops and then content ourselves by
saying this will do for awhile; we will
get more before bad weather sets in.
Then we will 60 hunting probably for
week or two; then by that time we
will have our hogs to kill or probably
our corn to finish getting in when the
first thing we know the snow begins to
fall and the roads become bad. These
conditions cause us to lose interest in
the pride of good wood pile and con-
sequently We make out the rest of the
winter by getting a few loads, burning
them, and then getting few more I'M
ill the winter is over. Then we let our
wives make out the best they can by
cooking thru the summer with boards,
cOrncobs or whatever they can find
chat will burn These conditions |
will venture to say can be brought
home to many of US here tonight, and
if we were asked the question and told
the truth about it, | doubt if there are
many of us who can say we have
enough wood cut on the wood pile for
our wives to cook breakfast with to-
morrow morning, or if we have, we
cut it before coming here tonight
AS have Just stated, this IS the sea-
son Of the year to provide our wood,
not only for the winter months, but
for the entire year. BY providing
YEARS. supply now you will not be COM
PEELED next summer, when you are busy
in your crops, the weather hot, your
AK dull and will not stay on the helye,
to have to take your horses out of the
pillow and a man from the field, to go
into the woods, to fight mosquitoes,
horse flies, and yellow jackets, to get
load of wood to cook with.
Those of US who live on the farm are
nearly all of US blessed with an album
dance OF firewood. In fact, most of us
allow enough wood to rot in the woods
to keep us all the time in fuel; so there
is absolutely no excuse for us not hav-
ing at all times good supply of dry
and seasoned tirewood. Those of us
who are too lazy to cut our wood on
the wood pile and cannot afford a saw
ing outfit OF our own, can always find
some one with saving outfit anxious
to cut our wood for US. When we
have our wood cut in this way, We
should arrange to have good lot, as
IL 1O9fo bht AAhNAt AAAoAANJ Rbh tAAAie
to have a large pile cut up than it does
a small lot.
Since being asked to deliver a little
talk on this subject of a good wood
pile, and knowing many of US are neg
lectful of this, it has come to me that
il would be good Law if it could be
passed, TO impose fine upon amy one
having family depending upon him
who, without substantial reason, has
failed to provide a good lot of wood
for the comfort of his family during
the winter.
1t is my belief that a large per cent
Of colds and pneumonia and possibly
good many deaths can be traced to
insufficient warmth, caused by poor
hrewood. So let US all promise our
selves right now that We will profit
this time by our experiences OF the
past and provide our tirewood early
and not wait until it gets so cold thai
we will burn the wood in our homes
faster than we can cut and haul it,
IL, GUY BERRY, Waldorf.
JOHN p. BURDETTE,
County Agent.