PRACTICAL PAPERS-FARM MANAGEMENT. 
215 
To be successful in any enterprise or pursuit there must be 
a plan, and system in executing it. The farmer should decide 
upon a course of management extending over a period of at 
least ten years’ time. 
There ought to be a proportionate division of the farm into 
grain, grass and live stock, depending somewhat upon the nature 
of the farm. Assuming that a commencement is made in 
1873 with a well considered plan, in most cases the land will 
require different management to adapt it to the plan; old lands 
will have to be rid of weeds; deep trenches plowed in the fall; 
sown to clover with grain in the spring; streams of water 
straightened; vegetable deposits on the margin of water¬ 
courses spread over the upland requiring vegetable mould to 
enrich it, and a black surface to draw the rays of the sun, and 
to pump up the moisture from below. 
Clay soil should have long manure, straw and leaves plowed 
in ; but in most parts of the state the soil is light and porous, 
requiring well rotted manure. This should be applied to the 
surface after plowing in the spring, and dragged in when cov¬ 
ering the grain, thus placing it where it will feed the grain 
fibres and be retained to enrich and equalize the moisture, in¬ 
stead of wasting its ammonia by its being blown away, or ex¬ 
haled by the dews and change of temperature between night 
and day. 
A farm of one hundred acres we would not subdivide smaller 
than forty acre tracts, exclusive of necessary yards for cattle 
and hogs; and we are clearly of the opinion that the best 
plan would be to have no subdivisions. This, if adopted by 
all farmers, would do away with outside fences, the interest on 
the cost of which would be equal to the best crop that could 
be raised on the farm. 
After getting the farm prepared for carrying out a plan the 
farmer should always note down in his farm book the condi¬ 
tions under w r hicheach crop was raised ; what time he plowed 
i 
each plat of ground ; moist or dry ; what time he sowed, and 
under what conditions it was harvested ; the area of land ap¬ 
propriated to each variety. Observations extending over a lim- 
