The spring is a most important season to the farmer. Much depends upon getting our summer crops in, in good season, and in good order. The land should be well tilled, and the surface well pulverized, so as to give the roots of the young plants a healthful and vigorous growth in the early part of the season. This enables them to stand either too much wet or too much dry weather, and the attacks of worms, much better than if got in late in the season or in bad order. The straw of grain sown early, is not as subject to rust or lodge, as that sown late; and grain which is forward, and ripens early, is usually much better and heavier than that which is late. The farmer who gets his crops in well and in good season is most sure of a good yield; besides, if he gets his spring's work done early, he will be most likely to do the whole work of the season in good time, and will have time to do it well; while if he gets behind time in the spring, he will be most likely to get behind time through the whole season; and being driven with his work will not be likely to do it well; and if he keeps an account of outgoes and incomes, will be most likely to find his profits much less than they would have been, had his spring's work been done in season.
The spring is also important in another point of view. Almost all of our domestic animals drop their young at season; and the same rule that applies to the vegetable, applies with equal force to the animal kingdom, viz: that we pay particular attention to them while young, so as to give them a healthful and vigorous growth in the stare. All experience has shown that if we would rear good stock, we must give them good keeping while young. All animals intended to be reared, should be dropped as early as the climate and season would admit.--This enables them, with good keeping, to become so large and hardy, as to stand the first winter well; while if dropped late in the season, and poorly attended to, their size,-- slender and feeble constitution, illy fits them to stand our severe winters. The first of March is the best time for calves.--This enables them to make good use of the early grasses as soon as they start and gives them the benefit of the whole season of pasturage. And further, the dams of all young animal, require particular attention and good keeping at this season, or they will run down and become poor. Dairy cows especially, should have the best of care, if we expect a good yield from them during the season. The milk drawn from the cow is a monstrous draft, and if she is suffered to get poor in the spring, she will remain so during the season, and the yield of milk will be small, particularly during the latter part of the season.
There are many other important matters to be looked to during the spring. Do your old meadows need harrowing and manuring and additional grass seed? If so, now is the time to attend to it.
Have you a sufficient number of fruit trees, and of the different kinds best suited to your soil and climate? If not, this is the time to plant them.
Have you a sufficiency of shade trees and shrubbery to make your situation pleasant? If not, now is the time to plant them. It will cost you but little labor. Plant them, keep cattle from them, and natural agents will do the rest.
Although we would not encourage extravagance of style in our common farmers, still, we can see no good reason why they should not practice and encourage correct taste, as well as those engaged in other pursuits. It is believed that those farmers who are the most particular in all their operations, are the most prosperous, provided they avoid what may (as applied to farmers) be justly termed extravagance.
The time when a particular job is done may not be of much importance to the manufacturer or mechanic, but to the farmer it is all important that he does almost everything at the right time. He has to depend upon natural agents for success; and they will not come to his aid unless he accommodates them as to time. Nature does not alter her laws or rules, to suit either the ignorance, misjudgment or slackness of the farmer. If he plants his corn too late in the spring, she will not stay the frost in the fall to give it time to ripen. If then, we would be benefitted by natural agents, we must so observe their laws as that they come most readily to our aid; and there is no season of the year when this observance is more important that the spring.
As will be seen by reference to the published proceedings of the Democratic District Convention, James H. Skinner, Esq., of this place, is the nominee of the Democratic party, for the vacant seat of Hon. John Letcher in the next Congress. Mr. Skinner, received an overwhelming majority on the first ballot, and before the vote was announced, Capt. John A. Harman, of Augusta, rose and expressed his belief that Mr. Skinner was the nominee of the Convention, and proposed to make the nomination unanimous, which was done amid loud and enthusiastic cheers. Everybody whom we have seen, seems perfectly satisfied with the candidate whom the Convention has presented to Democrats of the District, and we haven't the slightest doubt of his triumphant election on the 26th day of May. Mr. Skinner was then informed of his nomination, and requested to address the meeting which he did in an eloquent speech of about fifteen minutes, and his manly and graceful appeal to the Opposition, was singularly happy.
He told them he would be thankful to receive their votes, but at the same time informed them that he was the candidate of the Democratic party, and would never consent to sacrifice one principle of his party for the purpose of securing votes from any quarter, whatever. He appealed to them for their support, but at the same time hoped that the appeal was made in a spirit which scorns to"flatter Neptune for his trident, or Jove for his thunder."
We are requested to say that the Training of Officers of Militia in this County, will take place at Staunton, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the 25th, 26th and 27th of this month. The Regimental Musters will be held on the succeeding days. Advertisement next week.
A free negro from the neighborhood of Spring Hill, in this county, was committed to jail in this place on Wednesday last, charged with killing his wife. We have not been informed as to the particulars.