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DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE AND ITS KINDRED ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



VOL. IV. 



BOSTON, APRIL, 1852. 



NO. 4. 



RAYNOLDS & NOURSE, Proprietors. „„,^„ , „ FREU'K HOLBROOK, j As « 0CI . TE 



Officb....Qcin« hall. SIM0N BROWN ' Ed,tor - henry f. French! Se d ° TO rI 



FARM WORK FOR APRIL. 



Fitful April has come again, with sunshine and 

 tears, with singing birds, soft breezes and flowing 

 streams. Right welcome, April! Fitful and un- 

 certain as thou art. 



"To see thee smile, all hearts rejoice; 



And, warm with feelings strong, 

 With thee all Nature finds a voice, 



And hums a waking song. 

 The lover views thy waking hours, 



And thinks of summer come, 

 And takes the maid thy early flowers, 



To tempt her steps from home." 



"We believe there is no heart so dead to the in- 

 fluences of nature but is wakened into new life by 

 the return of spring. To us it is like waking into 

 a new existence, a new world of light, and life, 

 and beauty. Nature has a new voice, as well as 

 life. The birds pour forth their songs — the herds 

 low and sheep bleat, and bring forth new genera- 

 tions of animal existence to the enjoyments of a 

 new life. The soft south winds and gentle show- 

 ers touch the branches of the trees and swell the 

 buds for future fruit, while the brooks, glad to be 

 unchained from winter's frost, babble their praise 

 as they go rejoicing on their way to the rivers and 

 the sea. "Fresh leaves and flowers deck the dead 

 season's bier;" there is one of them — the primrose ! 

 This early child of spring, "that comes before the 

 swallow dares, and takes the wind of March with 

 beauty," is a peculiar favorite. 0, come with us 

 for a day into the country — and thou wilt be the 

 better for it all the year after. 



But we cannot pause to be sentimental ; the 

 spring has come, and with willing hands and stout 

 hearts we must be "up and doing." 



A careful review of the whole farm becomes 

 necessary this month. The trees, shrubs and 

 plants of every kind should be examined to see 

 what effect the winter has had upon them. Young 

 nursery trees may have been thrown out by the 

 frost ; if so, they should be carefully reset as soon 

 as the earth is sufficiently dry. Clean up the cur- 

 rant and gooseberry bushes and cut out the old 

 wood. Do the same to the raspberries, and if it 



was not done last fall, trim, and tie them up to 

 a stake in hills, or to horizontal bars. 



Drains. — Look to the drains, and set them flow 

 ing if the spring floods have choked them ; or if 

 they have gullied the mowing, planting or pasture 

 lands, improve the earliest moment to level them 

 up and scatter a little grass seed where it is needed. 



Fences. — Leave no rod of these unnoticed ; mend 

 up the wall gaps thrown down by frost ; and add 

 a new rail and post at weak points. If your cattle 

 once go through, it will require double the strength 

 to ^resist them afterwards. They understand a 

 weak spot in a fence, and a man too, sometimes, 

 quite well. Lay up that bit of stone wall which 

 you have been intending to do for some years. This- 

 tles and foul weeds are taking possession of the 

 ground among the loose stones, and will scatter 

 their seeds over your fields. 



Grass Lands. — Cattle should not be allowed to 

 run upon the mowing fields in the spring. They 

 poach it badly, making it inconvenient to mow and 

 rake, and they get a taste of green grass, which 

 makes them dainty of dry food afterwards, and 

 probably will mutilate more young trees than you 

 will have patience to look at after the mischief is 

 done. 



The Hot-Bed. — This may be one of the most 

 simple contrivances ; it may be made without 

 hammer or nail, if you desire it, by driving small 

 stakes by the sides of four boards to keep them on 

 their edges, and sloping the whole to the south. 1 

 This may be filled with fine loam and rotten ma- 

 nure, and your delicate seeds will come up just as 

 well as in a gilded frame. But a substantial hot- 

 bed would be cheaper in the end. Start lettuce, 

 tomatoes, radishes, peppergrass, or any thing else 

 that you may fancy, early, and by a little atten- 

 tion you will get a supply of excellent and whole- 

 some vegetables, far better for the system in the 

 spring than a principal beef and veal diet. 



Plowing. — By the time the review of the farm 

 has been gone through with, the fences repaired 



