JAX.] \VINTEREVENINGS. 51 



FELL ASH. 



If February should prove a forward month, ash 

 timber had better be felled in January than delayed 

 longer : this note upon a supposition that the far- 

 mer occupies his own land, and employs a wheel- 

 wright constantly, which I have found to be a 

 cheaper plan than employing others in the common 

 way. If elm abounds on the farm, this is the sea- 

 son to fell that also ; and the aquatic timbers like- 

 wise. 



WINTER EVENINGS. 



Some readers may smile at this title in a Calen- 

 dar of the business of a farm ; but if they do, it 

 will be for want of due consideration. In fact, 

 there is no part of the day can be more profitably 

 employed. Every work for the next day is to be 

 arranged, whether for a fine or a rainy day, and 

 the farm -books to be made up for the transactions 

 of the past day. Besides these, he should have 

 another book, for miscellaneous observations, que- 

 ries, speculations, and calculations, for turning and 

 comparing different ways of effecting the same ob- 

 ject, for estimates of the different kinds of food 

 he may have it in his power to give to the same cat- 

 tle ; with all such inquiries, doubts, or proposi- 

 tions, worth attention, as he may have heard in 

 conversation. Loose pieces of paper are generally 

 lost after a time, so that when a man wants to 

 turn to them to examine a subject formerly esti- 

 mated or discussed, he loses more time in search- 

 ing for a memorandum, than would be sufficient 



B 2 for 



