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lEMER. 



VOL. VII. 



SPRINGFIELD, MAT 1862. 



NO. e. 



May. 



April, witu her weeping skies, threatens 

 to encroach upon the domains ol May. 

 Rain, rain, is the order of the day— " all 

 quit On the farm ;" the fields present a sea of 

 mud, too deep to drive the plow afield and 

 the farmer must wait patiently for a change 

 of weather. The season has been bad for 

 tree planting and for every species of out- 

 door work. The breadth of spring planting 

 must, of necessity, be much less tha,n usual. 

 At the same time we have the consolation of 

 knowing that the winter wheat is promising, 

 it was but little winter killed and is now 

 making a good growth. As the spring crops 

 will be limited, a large breadth will be left 

 for summer fallow for winter wheat, and with 

 a good crop of this grain, as now promised, 

 a very large amount will be sown this sea- 

 son. We are not likely to hear about ten- 

 cent corn very soon again, what with a small 

 crop and the thousands of bushels now rot- 

 ting in the open cribs by the long con- 

 tinued wet weather, the price must soou ad- 

 vance ) already we see symptoms of a desire 

 to speculate in this staple. We hope form- 

 ers who have their corn in open cribs, will 

 loose no time in putting on good covers, 

 otherwise they will lose a large part of its 

 value ; better give half the corn for board^ 

 to save the other half. 



We cannot too strongly urgis the planting 

 of corn to follow the plow ; do not wait to 

 check-row, but plant your rows one way, in 

 hills if you please, or in drills if you can. 

 Use the two-horse cultivator, of which there 

 are several good ones to cultivate, and. do 

 not forget that if you want a good stpid and 



ease of culture, plant shallow and use a field 

 roller after planting; this will crush the 

 clods that are sure to folio »^ this long sea- 

 son of mud. Potatoes should also be^plan- 

 ted shallow and the ground rolled.; \' 



Those who intend to plant cotton should 

 select good clean dry land and use plenty of 

 seed. 



Strawberries should be set out, if not al- 

 ready attended to. Seeds of annual flower' 

 ing plants should be sown. Sow these in 

 seed beds, sheltered with a slight covering 

 oi straw, and transplant on a wet day to the 

 borders where they are to stand. Early po- 

 tatoes for seed, should not be planted until 

 the last of this month. The main crop of 

 potatoes should be planted between the 

 tenth and last of the month. Sow cabbage 

 seed for winter use. May is always a busy 

 month, plowing, planting and cultivating ; 

 but this year, on account of the wet weather 

 through April, the duties are largely in- 

 creased, and the farmer must be active, or 

 his crops will be of little account. 



At this writing, April 21st, the apricots 

 are in bloom and the peach blossoms are be- 

 gining to redden at the ends. Some of the 

 apple trees have leaves half an inch in 

 diameter, while others are bursting th^r 

 buds. The past week has been the busiest 

 of the season for orchard planting, but the 

 horrible condition of the roads have preven- 

 ted as extensive operations as was intended. 

 Next month we shall have something to say 

 of our own planting. Our better half served 

 up rhubarb pies the 18th, grown in the 

 open ground without artificial aid. They 

 were £rom the Lineo\iS; which is a few days 



