10 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



Yes, study is one of the — we said labors, perhaps 

 recreations would be a more proper designation — 

 but be it what it may, no man in these days can be 

 a "tip-top" farmer without study ; and while he stud- 

 ies he compares. To illustrate. A farmer plants cer- 

 tain land with corn ; the crop does not answer his ex- 

 pectations. He supposed he had chosen the most- 

 proper soil, and had done all that he thought nec- 

 essary to insure a good crop. What was the trou- 

 ble ? That there Avas a "screw loose somewhere" 

 which had let the bottom out of that crop he was 

 certain, but where, and how to find it is the ques- 

 tion. The winter evenings come on, he says to 

 himself, "now 1 will make a thorough examination 

 of the jVeu) England Farmer, and my books, and 

 see if I cannot ascertain what was the reason I did 

 not get a better crop of corn off that ten-acre lot, 

 that I took so much pains with last season." 



So he proceeds to examine ; he finds that certain 

 kinds of manure are peculiarly adapted to certain 

 formations of soil, while the same manures used on 

 other formations, have little or no effect. "And 

 this," says he, "is my error. I have not appHed the 

 proper manure to that particular soil ; next summer 

 I shall know better," and then profiting by his ex- 

 amination of the subject, he obtains one of the best 

 crops in the vicinity. 



We beheve the prejudice which existed some 

 years since against "book -farming" has nearly died 

 away, and farmers have now learned that a man 

 can no more be an excellent husbandman without 

 the study of books, than he can be a Clergyman, 

 Lawyer or Doctor. 



We recently spent a few days at the house of a 

 friend who glories in being a tiller of the soil. His 

 barn was well filled with hay and grain — under- 

 neath was a large root-cellar, clean, ventilated, and 

 lighted, and still another, new and warm, where his 

 fat porkers were enjoymg all the luxuries of hog- 

 dom, among the fallen leaves, used-up horse-bed- 

 ding, decayed weeds, &c., &c.; his house cellar was 

 amply stored with as fine a lot of potatoes, apples, 

 turnips, and other of the products of his land, as we 

 have seen for many a day. Abundance was all 

 around him ; he had been .successful even beyond 

 his expectations, — and his farming was chiefly 

 learned from books. We desired to write a letter, 

 and so said to our friend. "There," said he, point- 

 ing into a room which many would dignify with the 

 name of library, "is where I do both my Avriting and 

 my studying ; it is at your service." And there we 

 found a comfortable writing-desk, with all the mate- 

 rials for writing, in the most perfect order, and di- 

 rectly over the desk a large book-case, holding, say, 

 from one to two hundred volumes of the best books 

 on farming that could be procured. There was no 

 mystery in our mmd why our friend was a success- 

 ful farmer. Those books told the story. 



Although winter is the time for the farmer to stu- 



dy, it is also the time for him to make preparation 

 for the coming Spring. If the handle of a plow 

 happens to be broken, do not wait till the day comes 

 for using it, before either mendmg it yourself or em- 

 ploying some other person to mend it for you. Win- 

 ter is a capital time to repair broken tools, and no 

 one can better appreciate the old adage that a 

 "stitch in time saves nine," than the farmer. 



We never shall forget the tantrum into which a 

 farmer of our acquaintance once got, just for the 

 want of a simple iron ring. He had a few tons of 

 as good herds grass as any one would desire to see, 

 just ready to go in, when the western heavens be- 

 gan to be obscured with the blackest kind of com- 

 ing shower. All was hurry and bustle, of course, 

 the oxen were yoked and attached to the hay-cart 

 in double quick time, the men and boys were all 

 on the qui vive, the rakes and forks were thrown 

 on, and away all Avent upon the run, about half a 

 mile, to the hay field. One large fork with which 

 to pitch on the hay, was taken along, and none 

 other at all suitable for that purpose. Tom was on 

 the cart to lay the load, the stout hired man was to 

 pitch on, and the farmer and one or two boys were 

 to rake after. Two or three cocks were pitched on, 

 and the prospect was fair that at least one large 

 load would be got home dry, when lo, crack went 

 the end of the fork handle, just as its holder was 

 about heaving up a large forkfull, and while the 

 handle went uj) with a jerk, the shining iron was 

 left in the hay ! The handle was spUt up about a 

 foot, — and there stood our friend, looking the very 

 picture of despair, while he exclaimed, "There now, 

 didn't I tell you to go and get a ring put on to 

 that fork handle before it was used again — didn't I, 

 and why upon earth didn't you do it ? And now, 

 here we are, and every spear of this hay will be 

 just as wet as muck before we can get another 

 fork." We all did the best we could — but our 

 main stay was gone — and the consequence was that 

 up came the shower before the load was half on, 

 and hay, men, cattle, and all concerned were 

 drenched by one of the worst pouring showers it 

 was ever our lot to be out in. 



If that farmer, instead of trusting to Tom, Dick 

 and Harry, to have that ring put on, had done it 

 himself, he might have saved his hay dry, and we 

 might all have escaped a soaking that, if it did not 

 make any of us sick, might have done so, and en- 

 tailed a physician's bill sufficient to piu'chase all the 

 forks in a good-sized agricultural warehouse ! 



This, then, is one of the months in which to see 

 that every pitch-foi'k has a ring on it to prevent it 

 from splitting — every rake has all its teeth in — 

 every hoe is well fast,pned to its handle, &c., &c. 



Besides study and work, the farmer will find am- 

 ple time to be merry, and to enjoy his winter holi- 

 day, and we Avish him — we use the words as appli- 

 cable to all our readers — A Happy New Year. 



