762 HOW TO MAKE THE FARM PAY 



Pofafoe.^. — Dig, when ripe ; dry, and keep dry. The dry rot is 

 much prelerableto the wet rot, and dryness checks the extension 

 of both. 



Fruit- Fallen fruit generally contains the larva of "an insect 



that should not be allowed to perfect itself; gather up the fruit 

 every day, and feed it to swine, or let the hogs have the run of the 

 orchard.' Have a good suppl}' of self-supporting ladders to facili- 

 tate picking. Remove late caterpillars'' nests and look out for the 

 borer. 



Grass seed may often be saved in sufficient quantity for one's 

 own use, by observing where any variety grows unmixed and al- 

 lowing such to become ripe, cutting with a sickle, binding in bun- 

 dles threshed or rubbed out at leisure. Seeds of many of our best 

 pasture and meadow grasses can only be bought at very high 

 prices, while a little care in gathering them would afford an abun- 

 dant supply for home use, if not for sale. 



Huckleberry pastures, or similar land overgrown with bushes, 

 should be torn all to pieces with a heavy iron tooth harrow well 

 loaded. This is work for oxen. The roots and brush may be 

 piled together and burnt, and the surface again harrowed. Seeding 

 will hardl}^ be necessary except on barren spots, which will need 

 manure also. The natural grasses will soon assert their rights, 

 the sooner if the stones are picked off and the land rolled. 



Weeds and Bushes. — Cut all that have blossomed first, put them 

 in piles and burn when dry. Give others to the hogs, also all 

 growths of wet land that will soon decay. The bush hook and 

 scythe should keep the hedge rows clean, and the 3'oung growth 

 that starts after this will be verj^ likely to winter kill. When 

 opportunity serves, the roots may be torn out with a pair of cattle 

 and a plow, or with a strong iron hook aided by the mattock or 

 grubbing hoe. 



Swamps and Low Lands. — If the low lands can be worked in, 

 improve the time by digging open ditches, cutting bogs, and 

 throwing out muck, clearing stumps, etc. If the swamps are dry 

 enough for teams to work, alders and other bushes and trees may 

 be hauled out by the roots, the surface grubbed, roots laid up 

 to dry, and when dry burned. If the season be favorable for 

 ditching in low grounds, lay out the drains and have the men at 

 work every spare half day; get out as much muck and peat as 

 l)ossible as you progress, throwing it out on one side only of the 

 ditch. Even if the weather be wet the ditch will most likely dry 

 the ground in the immediate vicinity, so that the muck can be 

 hauled out as soon as dry. The drying of peaty land may be 

 sometimes facilitated by thrusting smoo'th poles obliquely into 

 the peaty mass on either side as far as possible, and at a level not 

 much above the bottom of the ditch. Roots, brush, and tussocks 

 of grass or brakes, may be laid up in piles to dry for burning by 

 and by. The ashes will be an excellent dressing for the soil. 



