California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



WOKK FOR THE SEASON. 



Of course it tleijends upon circnm- 

 Btances, which every farmer should be a 

 judge of, as to what work most needs to 

 be done at this season of the year. It is 

 generally looked upon by grain farmers 

 as a season of rest, unless they have to 

 haul their grain to market or the store- 

 house. In that case it is policy to im- 

 prove the dry roads and weather at once. 



Dry plowing and sowing can now be 

 done to advantage on land that is clear of 

 bad weeds and foul stuff. On none but 

 clean land should dry sowing be done, 

 but dry plowing— the soil to be plowed 

 again after the weeds get started— will do 

 even for foul lands. However, we cannot 

 advise dry plowing as economical except- 

 ing the land is clean of foul seeds. 



FENCING. 



If any fencing is to be hauled, now is 

 the time to do it. There are few farm in 

 California so well fenced as to be conve- 

 nient for stock-keeping. It will pay al- 

 most any farmer to so lay out and fence 

 his place that he can economically pas- 

 ture a portion of his farm every year, in 

 the way of rotation, and be able to pas- 

 ture a portion without herding. On dry 

 farms, this is an important matter, as a 

 field pastured this season will be much 

 more likely to produce a good, clean crop 

 of grain than one that is cropped to grain 

 every season. It is the testimony of many 

 good farmers that pasturing a field is as 

 good, if not bettor, than summer-fallow- 

 ing it, both as regards getting a clean 

 crop and a full one. Wo are compelled 

 to have much faith in pasturing to pre- 

 cede wheat culture, either of cattle or of 

 Bheep. Probably sheep would be prefer- 

 able. So we say that it is important on 

 dry ranches that farms should be well 

 fenced where stock-keeping can be made 

 profitable in connection with grain rais- 

 ing. On farms that will every year pro- 

 duce a good crop no argument is neces- 

 sary to convince an intelligent farmer 

 that it is to his interest to so fence that 

 be can keep stock to advantage. 



Of course setting posts or driving pick- 

 ets is something that is best done when 

 the soil is softened by winter rains. But 

 if one gets everything ready and at hand 

 for the work it will be greatly facilitated. 

 This is also a good season to look out for 

 and collect 



FIBE WOOD FOR THE YEAK. 



Chopping is hard work in hot weather,but 

 let any farmer take his wagon and hired 

 men and go into the timber prepared to 

 camp out for a week or two and make a 

 pleasure as well as duty of it, working in 

 the cool of the day only, and resting when 

 it is hot and they are tired, and our word 

 for it, he would find it a recreation better 

 than riding over dusty roads to town to 

 spend his time in saloons or on street 

 corners talking politics and spending 

 money as well us time foolishly, aa too 



many farmers do that we know of. 



BDILDINO A HOUSE. 



This is a good time for building either 

 a house or any needed out-building. How 

 few farmers have habitable houses, such 

 as a wife and family of children require 

 to be comfortable, such a house as they 

 will take a pride in calling Aojne— home, 

 the most sacred of names— a place that 

 should be consecrated to every good that 

 life is capable of enjoying— the center of 

 our affections and the scene of our dearest 

 joys. It should be made a comfortable 

 abode for our bodies, convenient for the 

 arrangements of the household, so handi- 

 ly arranged in every way as to make 

 house-heeping as little laborious as pos- 

 sible, well supplied with air, sunlight and 

 shade, with water pure, and surrounded 

 with such attractive features as the culti- 

 vation of trees and flowers will always 

 give. Paint and whitewash should never 

 become too dingy, but reflect from with- 

 out the brightness and light that shall be 

 an index of the lives and cheerfulness 

 within. 



In building a new bouse, don't set it 

 nearer than three feet to the ground. Let 

 the wall be high, the windows large, and 

 if you don't build but half of the house 

 at once, let that half be substantial, and 

 let it comprise an ample kitchen, as con- 

 veniently arranged as you can contrive it; 

 and if you have to wait, let the parlor be 

 the last room added. Remember that 

 pure air and sunshine are blessings that 

 we should never debar from our living 

 and sleeping rooms and contrive accord- 

 ingly. 



FARM OTTT-BTnLDINGS. 



A roof to shelter stock as well as straw 

 and hay should be also considered a ne- 

 cessary part of every farm. An expensive 

 barn is really not the most desirable thing 

 on a farm in our climate. They may need 

 such things in Maine and Minnesota, but 

 in California a shelter from rain and 

 winds is all that stock requires, and a 

 shelter from the rain is what straw and 

 hay need. We have studied a good deal 

 upon this matter of farm out-buildings, 

 and have come to the conclusion that the 

 best, economically considered, buildings 

 for hay and stock are sheds, so arranged 

 about the stock yards that they will break 

 the prevailing winds, shelter the hay and 

 straw and stock at the same time. Last 

 March we called attention to some on Mr. 

 A. N. Story's farm that come near being 

 the right thing. Mr. S. has a thousand 

 feet in length of these sheds, the cost of 

 which did not exceed $1,000. or one dol- 

 lar a foot, running length. We reproduce 

 our description: 



" The main part of the building is 16 feet 

 across, length of posts 12 feet, sided up ou 

 one side only, and covered with four lengths 

 (two on each side) of six-feet sp'it clap- 

 boards. On the open side there is an exten- 

 sion of two lengths more of clap-boards, rest- 

 ing upon a iilato supported by strong posts, 



10 or 12 feet apart, making a wing shed 10 

 feet wide for the stock to stand under, mak- 

 ing the total width 2G feet. The main por- 

 tion of the building is used to mow away hay 

 or straw. It is pitched in through openings 

 in the back side of the building. This man- 

 ner of storing saves high pitching and is even 

 handier than stacking. When the cattle com- 

 mence feeding under the sheds they stand to 

 the mow but are prevented from reaching 

 beyond the length of their necks by a strong 

 bar. Feed cribs extend with this bar clear 

 around the inside of the buildings. As the 

 hay or straw is eaten away it is an easy mat- 

 ter to go along with a fork and poke down 

 more, so that one man can, in a short time, 

 twice a day, feed the stock all the hay they 

 will eat up clean." 



The shed portion of this building may be 

 sided up if one desires it so closed, but where 

 wind is broken away by trees, by high fence, 

 or by a similar biiikUug opposite, it is even 

 better for stock open than closed. Two or 

 three such buildings a hundred feet long, so 

 arranged as to break the wind from the stock 

 in the corrals and under the sheds, will be 

 found convenient on any farm, and in this 

 mild chmate, we believe they would answer 

 every purpose better than a big barn. 



SAVE THE STRAW. 



There is less need of this injunction than 

 there was some years ago. Farmers are not 

 burning straw now as then. Still, there are 

 too mouy who do not appreciate its value, and 

 who allow it to he scattered in the field to be 

 destroyed. The man who will question the 

 economy of stacking his straw for the use of 

 stock, should seek the advice of his thrifty 

 neighbor. 



SELLING STOCK. 



If there is to be any thinning out of stock 

 for beef, if any one or more of the cows or- 

 calves are to be sold, make up your mind 

 which ones to dispose of. Don't sell the best 

 milk and breeding cows at any price. Select 

 the heifer calves from the choicest stock to 

 raise. Sell ofif the ordinary cows and calves, 

 and turn off as much beef as you can. The 

 high price of hay, and the prospect of an- 

 other dry season, waixants a close culling 

 amongst stock of all kinds. Eemember that 

 it does not cost much to winter a calf, and 

 save the best, or if you buy stock to increase 

 your herds, buy the best calves. 



It is poor economy to keep more horses 

 than are needed on a farm. They will soon 

 eat their heads off. Better raise something 

 that will bring cash for beef, mutton or pork. 

 Now is a good time to make plans for dispos- 

 ing of all surplus horses at as good a price as 

 possible, but at some price. The large 

 amount of emigration to this State should 

 have the effect to give a better demand and 

 price to horses. 



MAP THE FARM. 



Lay it out into such sized fields as may suit 

 your ideal, and carry out your idea of o pro- 

 per system of rotation. There is a good (leal 

 in laying off a farm to fence and cultivate 

 properly, so that the buildings will be in the 

 best place and so that the fields will be handi- 

 est for all purposes. An eye for beauty should 

 always accoinpany every improvement. The 

 orchard should be where it looks the best as 



