THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



ry is practiced. The true way to put a 

 farm into good order is, take one or more 

 fields, each year, and finish uj) the work. 

 Fence it well, clear it of stones and stumps, 

 underdrain if needed, manure it heavily, 

 and plant to corn and potatoes. These, 

 carefully cultivated, will leave the land in 

 good condition for a grain crop, and seed- 

 ing to clover and other grasses, and this 

 course followed from field to field, with 

 good management of every crop, will put 

 a new face on any of " our common run" 

 of farms. 



Upon the amount of manure should de- 

 pend the size of our fields — at any rate, it 

 should be our aim to give each field the 

 quantity, which will enable it to grow a 

 large crop. It is poor policy to attempt 

 the cultivation of more land than we can 

 fully fertilize and thoroughly cultivate. 

 We mention corn, as a first crop, because 

 it is one well suited to the place — one not 

 injured by any amount of manure, fresh 

 or fermented, which can be applied — one 

 which can receive that culture necessary 

 to clear the land of weeds, and one hav- 

 ing no deleterious influence on any after 

 crop. From a field ?o treated, we took 

 fifty bushels of shelled corn per acre ; the 

 next year, a good crop of barley; and, tlie 

 clover seed not taking well from drought, 

 had the season following, with a light dress- 

 ing of manure— twenty-five bushels of 

 wheat (the midge took ten of it) — and the 

 present year, two tons of hay per acre, 

 with a luxuriant second crop now on the 

 ground. 



It may be that a field needs underdrain- 

 ing, the whole or in part, in order to profi- 

 table cultivation. Why should not this be 

 done — this small field which we would de- 

 vote to corn, and which, with draining, 

 will become one of the best on the farm ? 

 Let us not leave this part of farm im- 

 provement unperformed. Its results will 

 be returned for many years in largely in- 

 creased j)roductiveness. It will be taken 

 from the list of hazardous in reward, and 

 be placed among the certainties in pro- 

 duct — no longer demanding a peculiar 

 S(3ason and culture in order to the remu- 

 neration of the labor bestowed upon it. — 

 Almost every farm has fields of this char- 

 acter — fields sure for good culture to re- 

 turn good crops, whatever the season — 

 and almost every farm has those which 

 fail frequently, however much labor may 



be bestowed, because the season does not 

 suit them — and the grand difference in soil 

 and character lies in the fact that one is 

 porous and friable from drainage, natural 

 or artificial, while the o^her is hard and 

 sterile from want of drainage — from the 

 presence or effects of stagnant water in- 

 the soil. 



The present is a good time to begin the 

 work — to look about for materials for in- 

 creasing the manure heap — for clearing 

 off stone — for draining — for making be- 

 ginnino; and putting the whole farm in its 

 highest state of productiveness. 



Hints to Farmers. 



Toads are the best protection of cabbage 

 against lice. 



Plants, when drooping, are revived by 

 a few grains of camphor. 



Pears are generally im.proved by graft- 

 ing on the mountain ash. 



Sulphur is valuable in preserving grapes, 

 etc., from insects. 



Lard never spoils in warm w^eather if it 

 is cooked enough in frying out. 



Of feeding corn, sixty pounds'ground go 

 as far aL? one hundred pounds in the kernel. 



Corn meal should never be ground very 

 fine, as it injures the richness of it. 



Turnips of small size contain more nu- 

 tritious matter, in proportion, than large 

 ones. 



Rats and other vermin are kept away 

 from grain by the sprinkling of garlic when 

 packing the sheaves. 



Money expended in drying land by 

 draining or otherwise, will be returned 

 with ample interest. 



To cure scratches on a horse, wash tfieir 

 legs with warm soap suds, and then with 

 beef brine — two applications will cure the 

 worst case. 



Timber, when cut in the spring, and, 

 exposed to the weather with the bark on, 

 decays much sooner than if cut in the fall. 



Wild onions may be destroyed by culti- 

 vating corn, plowing and leaving the corn 

 in the plowed state all the winter. 



Snow-Ball Pudding. — Pare and core 

 large, mellow apples, and enclose them 

 separately in a cloth spread with boiled 

 rice; boil them one hour; dip them in 

 cold water before turning out. Serve them 

 with cream sauce. 



