From the American Agriculturist Almanac.
From the American Agriculturist Almanac.
Settleall your accounts, collect what is due you, and pay what you owe. "Short settlements make long friends." Examine your farm statistics, and see what have been the results of your experiments with the different kinds of manures, seeds, modes of tillage, &c., &c.; and note them well for future use. No farmer ought to be without such a book, in which all experiments should be carefully recorded at the time, and the results carried into a separate book for his own use hereafter; and if new and valuable discoveries are obtained, communicate them to some agricultural periodical for the benefit of the world. Recollect, you have the experience of thousands to guide your operations, and, by contributing to the general stock whatever may be useful, you are but returning to mankind a part of the benefits you have derived from them. But avoid twaddle and humbuggery, and oft-published statements, and prolix or tedious narration, and give all the circumstances material to the subjects in the briefest, plainest, simplest language possible. Above all things, send in your subscription to one or more valuable agricultural papers, and get as many of your neighbors to subscribe as possible; and consider, in so doing, you are benefiting yourself by it ten times as much as you are the publishers. Summer is peculiarly the time for making observations and experiments, and winter the time for communicating them.Remember the poor, not only in this month, but every month through the year, and especially during the inclemency of winter. You need not give so much to them outright, but endeavor to put them in a way of making themselves comfortable, by affording them employment, by which, you may be benefited, while doing them good. You thus confer on them a triple benefit, by furnishing them the means of comfortable subsistence, teaching them to help themselves, and avoiding the habit of receivingcharity, which insensibly weakens their sense of self-dependance.
Stock now requires increased attention: they must be well housed, or at least protected against wind, with a shelter to which they can resort in storms, well supplied with salt, and abundance of water, if possible, in the yard, where they can get it when they want, and without wearying themselves in looking for it, and wasting their manure by dropping it in the road, or by a running stream or pond, where it will all be lost. Their feed should be regular, and given to them as near stated times as possible. They look for their food then at certain hours, and are not uneasy and fretful till the customary period arrives, when they again fill themselves, and rest quietly, digesting their food till it is time to look for another supply. If brought up in regular habits, brutes are much better time-keepers than many are disposed to consider them who have not observed closely their intelligence. Now is a good time to break steers and colts, while the roads are smooth and hard. They ought to be early accustomed to handling and the halter, and be gently treated, by which they are more disposed to yield to the wishes of their master. If they have been always used to good treatment, they will acquire a confidence in their keepers, and the more readily submit to their guidance. 'Tis always better to train them with strong, well-broken animals. Sympathy has more to do with the brute creation than they have credit for generally; and the good habits and orderly behavior of the older animals, they have been accustomed to treat with deference, will not be without their wholesome effect on them.
This is the best month for spreading out hemp for dew-rotting, in the latitudes below 40°, as it gets a whiter and better rot than if spread earlier.
Kitchen-Garden.—Every fine day uncover the frames in which are lettuce and cauliflower plants; otherwise they will become spindling, from want of air. Hot-beds can now be made, for forcing asparagus for the table in January. If the ground is open, continue trenching for spring crops. When the ground is frozen, cart manure, repair fences, clean seeds, prepare tools for spring. Provide pea-sticks, bean-poles, &c., and finish all that will be required in the spring, and which can be done when the ground is frozen.
Fruit-Garden and Orchard.—Finish those things which may have been omitted the previous month. If the weather continues open, digging and plowing may be done advantageously. Perform any work that may tend to forward your business in the spring.
Flower-Garden and Pleasure-Grounds.—Continue to protect your beds of bulbs, and also flower-beds and shrubs as directed in last month. Should the weather continue open in the early part of this month, bulbs may still be planted. They should not be left as late as this, but if such has been the case, they had better be planted now than left until spring. Now carefully protect seedling bulbs. The more tender kinds of trees can have their roots protected from frost by laying manure or long litter about them.