ORGANIZATION.
We hear a great deal about the farmer waking up to the fact that his
calling is a business that must be conducted upon business principles,
if it is to pay. Anybody who knows anything about the farming methods,
or lack of methods, of the past, will recognize that this awakening has
not come a moment too soon. Neither is the farmer wide enough awake
even yet. But the feeling is growing, and much of the credit is due to
the farm papers, the agricultural colleges and the writers of books on
farming and gardening on a small scale.
Somewhere, hidden in the heart of almost every man, is a longing to own
a bit of land and grow vegetables or fruits; and it is to this man that
the new order of things means most. He has had business experience, and
will naturally apply business principles to anything he takes up.
It is not many years since agricultural colleges were looked upon
with amusement, if not with scorn, by the very people whom they were
intended to help. The “scientific” farmer was classed with that other
hopeless being, the “book farmer.” But the colleges and books kept on
doing their work, and the college-bred and book-made farmer kept on
doing wonderful things with soils and crops, and now there is scarcely
a farming community that does not number among its leading members a
farmer of one or both sorts. So does time work changes.
Boys who intend to be farmers are now sent to agricultural colleges,
and the wise farmer takes in good agricultural papers and reads
agricultural books. He has organized himself into granges and other
associations and is fast learning the value of co-operation. All
this tends to elevate his calling, a calling which is naturally more
dignified than any other, and to make himself and his labor of more
real value to himself and to his fellows.
But even yet there is too much haphazard arrangement of the farmer’s
work, and for this reason he is always struggling and finding little
leisure. It is partly due to the lack of organization in his work. If
he has not too much land, and if every month has its appointed tasks,
the farmer will move along from task to task, with at least as much
leisure as his city brother. So get your work mapped out, and attend to
things as they need attention, instead of leaving a lot of small things
to pile up and in the end cause hurry and confusion.
Plan your work and work your plan.
In the month of JANUARY prepare for spring work in your garden. Whether
you devote your plot to vegetables or fruit, lay it out now in your
own mind or, better still, on paper. Get catalogues from seedsmen who
advertise. Most of them get their catalogues out in January. They are
business men and know the value of an early start. Make up your mind
what you want to grow, being sure to plan for plenty of the things you
eat,—and then select the things you mean to experiment with during
the coming year. Follow a well-arranged planting-table, such as was
published in _Suburban Life_, of New York City, in March, 1908.
If you have fruit trees on your plot, this is a good time to begin to
spray them. If you don’t get ahead of insects and diseases, they will
soon get ahead of you. If you intend to do any grafting, secure the
scions now and keep them buried in sand in a cold cellar, or even out
of doors, until the sap begins to rise in the trees. Then you are ready
to work without loss of time. If there are holes in the trees, clean
them out and fill with cement. You won’t have time for this in the
spring, and the gypsy-moth, or some relative of his, will select the
hole as a ready-made breeding-place. Paint all wounds or breaks in the
bark with good paint or tar. On warm days do the necessary pruning.
Look out for your live stock, even it if be only the family horse and
cow. They will serve you better for careful attention. Warm the bit on
cold mornings before putting it in the horse’s mouth, and look out for
signs of possible toothache. He suffers from that as well as you. Have
him sharp-shod for slippery weather. If the barn is cold, blanket your
cow as well as your horse, give her plenty of warm bedding and see that
she and the horse have salt at hand at all times. Don’t give either
animal ice-cold water to drink. Take the chill off it. A hot mash will
not do either of them any harm on a cold day. You like hot food in
winter.
Look after the comfort of your poultry. Dust them well for insects.
Give them fresh, slightly warmed water every few hours during the day.
Vary their food somewhat and give some corn and meat-scraps. Be sure
the meat is good, as spoiled scraps lead to disease. See that they have
green food, and as much exercise as possible; keep their house clean
and well ventilated, but free from draughts. If you are going to raise
broilers, get your incubator busy, but it is too early for hatching
chickens for layers. If you have no incubator, but mean to get one
later, read up all about them now. Don’t buy blindly.
Get out your fencing stuff, if you have fences to build; and read up
all you need to know about your soils and the value of fertilizers,
etc. Don’t wait until spring to know what it is best to do with your
plot. Learn that in advance, so that when spring comes you may put your
knowledge into practice without delay.
* * * * *
The same general instructions hold good for FEBRUARY. Give constant
care to your stock whether many or few. See that your tools, planters,
sprayers, plows, etc., are all in order. Many valuable hours are lost
in gardening-time because of neglect of this precaution. Repair those
that need it and are worth it, and consult catalogues for the new
machinery you must buy, and buy only the best of its kind.
If you are using hot-beds or even cold-frames, you can prepare them and
begin to plant some seed during February, such as radishes, lettuce and
early cauliflower.
* * * * *
MARCH is still too early for out-door planting in the North, because if
the seeds get chilled, they will be slower in growth than those planted
later; but well-made hot-beds are getting in their good work at this
time. Eggplant, tomatoes, early cabbage, onions, parsley, peppers,
etc., are all to be started before this month is out.
If the ground softens up so that you can go out on it at all for
working, you may sow your grass seed and spring oats and barley that
they may get the advantage of spring rains and be well grown before the
dry, hot weather sets in. You find many farmers neglecting their stock
at this time of year, but it is bad policy. Keep up their rations.
If the storms of winter have strewn your plot with branches of trees
and other wreckage, clean it all up; the wisest plan is to burn it.
Clean the out-buildings; sort over your seed, and see if any insects
have got at them during winter; test them between moist papers or
cloths as described, to see which are worth planting; clean out
vegetable bins, burying all decayed vegetables. Be ready to take
advantage of the very first of the out-door-planting weather. Every day
of preparation now counts for three in results.
* * * * *
APRIL is a busy month in farm and garden. Preparation-tillage is in
order, if the ground is not too moist. Too much stress cannot be laid
upon the importance of thorough preparation of the soil before the
planting begins. What you neglect in this line cannot be made up later
in the season, and you will suffer in field and pocket. Be sure that
your soil is neither too wet nor too dry when you begin operations, and
when you are through, be just as sure that it is thoroughly pulverized
and fertilized, so that it can retain moisture and afford the right bed
for the tender seeds. Then plant all the hardy crops as directed in the
chapters on crop raising in this book.
Get your neighbors to co-operate with you in clearing out neglected
roadside corners and in destroying weeds. It will pay. All the crops in
the neighborhood will profit from this action. Don’t turn the stock out
to feed until the grass has made some growth. You don’t want the roots
gnawed out.
* * * * *
Even in the northernmost parts of the New England States, much of the
out-door planting is done in early MAY and the rest a little later
in the month. Now is when you begin to realize the value of having
done all your preparation work early. Planting potatoes, peas, beets,
cabbages, turnips, to say nothing of beans, corn, pumpkins, squashes,
cucumbers, etc., will take all your time every day that is not spent
in cultivating and using the wheel-hoe. Besides, your strawberry beds
will be needing a good deal of attention, and your chicken-run should
have its location changed for awhile.
* * * * *
There are no idle times for the intelligent farmer, but the beautiful
month of JUNE is generally the busiest. Indeed, it is often so busy
that the farmer does not have time to know how beautiful it is. But you
can have time. Arrange your work; drive it instead of letting it drive
you, and you will be surprised how much time you have to look up and to
realize that it is a glorious thing just to be alive. But this cannot
be if you have neglected your work from month to month. The smell of
ripening strawberries, of new-mown hay fill the air before this month
is gone; the sky is the bluest, the grass the greenest, the trees the
freshest of any month in the year. Don’t lose those delights without
having known that they have come. Cultivate yourself as well as your
soil, and life will be better worth the living.
* * * * *
JULY is the real haying month in the Northern States. There are scores
of things to do. Many of the fall-crop vegetables are to be sown this
month, and the ground must be put in good condition as soon as the
early crop is off. But busy as you are, it is good to take a day off
occasionally and see what your neighbor is doing. Perhaps he has some
scheme by which he has forced his crop ahead of yours. If so, compare
notes and learn what you can.
* * * * *
In New England they sow the winter crop of turnips in the early days
of AUGUST. Be careful that the root maggot has not got into the ground
where you plant them, for, if he has, you would better save yourself
the labor of planting in that spot. You want to starve the maggot, not
to feed him. Cultivate all your crops carefully this month. Perhaps
they didn’t get all the attention they needed during haying, and as the
weather is apt to be pretty hot and dry, you must do all in your power
to keep the moisture. Therefore, good maintenance-tillage is in order.
Cut down the weeds on the roadside that have escaped you before. It is
a costly mistake to allow them to go to seed. You will have to work a
good deal harder and get less for it next year if you let them go to
seed this year. “One year’s seeding is seven years’ weeding.”
* * * * *
If you have fruit trees, SEPTEMBER is one of the finest months in the
year, both for the looks of your place, if it has been properly kept,
and also for your profits. The early fruit brings good prices, and if
you have shown foresight in planning out your garden, you have planted
some fruit trees that will pay you. Harvesting begins this month, and
you want to be sure that everything is in readiness. Have your bins and
cellars thoroughly cleaned and aired, so that there may be no delay
when crops are ready to be stored.
* * * * *
OCTOBER calls for extra care for your fruit trees, because frosts are
to be expected. Winter apples should be picked before they are fully
ripe and kept in a cool place, but where they cannot freeze. If you
intend them to last all winter and into the spring, you should sort and
pack them carefully, seeing that no bruised fruit gets into your barrel
or box. One bruised apple in a barrel may cost you half a dozen or more
of the finest.
* * * * *
Although in some places it may be necessary to begin fall plowing
earlier than NOVEMBER, yet, generally speaking, this is the month for
that work, and unless frosts come early, you can plow about all through
the month. It is the month for finishing up the fall work and getting
ready for winter. There is no better time for gathering up whatever
rubbish may have accumulated—all the vines and garden waste that you
cannot use for plowing under—and making a bonfire of it. That is a
work the boys will delight to help in, and if you will save the actual
burning for evening, you will make them extra happy, and glad to do
some more cleaning up. Work is best done in the way that brings the
greatest amount of pleasure.
* * * * *
DECEMBER has its joys and its work as well as June. The stock are
almost always shut up now and get only what you give them, either to
eat or drink. Be careful to keep their troughs scrupulously clean, and
occasionally feed both horses and cows a little molasses. To keep the
stable well ventilated, take out a window and fit in a frame covered
with muslin or cotton sheeting. This will help out the ventilation and
shut out the draughts. If it is hinged at the bottom, so that it can be
opened on clear days, it will be all the better.
And now just a word for man’s other faithful friend, and the children’s
guardian, the dog. He feels the change in the weather, too. If he
should begin to scratch his ears or rub them on the ground, clean them
carefully with lukewarm water in which bran has been boiled, and add a
little white castile soap. When you have rinsed and dried them dust a
little dry boric acid into them. He’ll be more comfortable and so will
you. Stonehenge or Youatt “On the Dog” will tell you all about him.
See that your farming tools are all well housed where neither rain nor
snow can get at them. If you were too busy to thoroughly clean and oil
them before putting them away, do it now. The long winter evenings will
afford you plenty of time to read up on any matter in which you are
interested. At the end of the year you will be astonished to find how
much you have accomplished without being rushed or overworked, just
because you organized your work and followed a definite plan. Like all
other good things, it pays.
When we are exhausted or rushed, it shows that either we have been
doing the wrong thing, or doing the thing wrong.