Gifts of a gift.

      Much too cold to ride a tractor today it was time to resume a project left over from last fall. If it wasn't picking rocks, what would you guess?  Both of you, my readers, have often read about my contention with cedar trees. Cedars are problematic in various ways, encroaching on grassland, growing in road ditches and infesting pasture fences, to name three. Today my project was continuing the removal of them from a pasture fence. This land's deed has been in my name for many years, 30?, why wasn't this finished long ago? My bad! Or "better late than never!"

     Rows of cedars were included in the tree rows planted for wildlife cover as a gift. The gift of that gift is the sprouting of cedar saplings in unhelpful locations, see paragraph above. Cedar berries are consumed by birds who defecate the seeds while sitting on the fence. You get the idea.

    Though I do sit-ups every morning, the stoop labor of cutting cedar sprouts quickly tires my back. Working until my back said "stop" I cleared one section of fence this morning. Tomorrow I'll do another. Timing is important because soon my renter, Scottie, will move his cattle to the pasture. Then he'll electrify the fence. If either of you have ever encountered an electric fence  you can understand that cedar removal will rest until the cattle go home in the fall.

    This pasture fence is host to eight? nesting boxes for bluebirds. While the bluebirds have never found them, tree swallows have. "Not a problem", as young people say, swallows need homes, too. The field road to the field of recent tillage passes them. With swallows noted by only one box I wondered if wrens had stuffed the other boxes with twigs, which they do to foil competition...avian dogs in the manger.  As I was approaching one house to check, a swallow flew into it carrying a feather in its beak for nest building. None of the boxes were stuffed with twigs.

    Swallows have been around for several days but, perhaps, the main migration is just now occurring. Swallows feed on insects on the wing...both bird and insect flying. Consequently, their arrival is timed to follow an insect hatch. Last spring cold weather delayed the emergence of insects and many purple martins perished for lack of food.

Takk for alt,

Al

A nesting box that a wren has packed with twigs.

This picture illustrates a cedar grown into the pasture fence. 

Tillage finished.

      With the plowing completed Saturday, and twice disking it today, I did a little experiment. The cost of gasoline for the plowing was $33. Deciding to compare the disking gasoline cost, it was $23. The good news is that the adjustment Tim did to the timing on the tractor improved its performance. Previous to Tim's adjustment the tractor tended to run hot when under heavy load. Plowing and discing were a good tests and the overheating problem was solved. Thanks, Tim!

    The soil is prepared for planting. Now the wait is for weather fit for tractor work on an open station tractor. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Disc and tractor in a different field. I also pull a three section harrow behind the disc when preparing a seed bed.

Family History.

      While living, where geographically I explain "as near the junction of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota", Cathy came to live with us as a foster daughter. Because her family of origin disintegrated we became her legal guardians. The other foster children who lived with us had other guardians. 

      Cathy was very intelligent, mature and possessed exceptional common sense. Parenting her was a dream. First in her extended family to graduate from high school she married Tim. Cathy and Tim continued to live in the community where she had come to live with us. Tragically she died from breast cancer twelve years ago. Tim and I have remained in close contact and almost every year he makes the 350 mile drive to visit me. 

     Last fall, when Tim heard of my plans to rent an excavator to remove rocks he intended to come and help. Winter intervened before we got it done. So, he came last week. He has worked both as a mechanic and a heavy equipment operator. He said running the excavator removing rocks was fun. After a five minute orientation at the rental place where we rented the excavator, he was good to go. He climbed into the cab and drove it up on the trailer. In the field with the rocks it was clear that he knew what he was doing.

  With his mechanical skills he was keen to work on my tractors. He put points and condenser in one. In another he adjusted the timing and replaced the fan and alternator belts. Another tractor's battery was dead. Arlington, about 15 miles away, has an Interstate Battery warehouse. They sell blemished batteries for half price, so I paid $80. for a new battery instead of $160. Then, Tim helped me switch batteries between tractors. Finally, he restored the function of the back-up camera on my truck.

   Perhaps this seems exploitive but he's happiest working on projects with another guy. Since, the death of his brother, with whom he was regularly engaged, he's happy for these experiences.  And I? Grateful for the relationship and appreciative for the help!

Takk for alt,

Al

   

Ya, then...

     Tim left this morning for his ND home. I'll have more to say about his visit.

     With the temperature in the 60s I ventured out with tractor and plow. Now with the plowing finished Monday looks warm enough to finish the tillage. Then the first warm day I'll plant the corn. 

   Why this brief blog so late? Blame the WNBA and my absent mindedness.

Takk for alt,

Al

it's Late!

   Involved watching the Lynx final pre-season game. they beat Toronto, time slipped away. Tim and I had a fruitful day of machinery repair. All's well and I'll write more tomorrow.

Takk for alt,

Al 

10,000 year old gifts!

       Does the title "10,000 year old gifts" tell you the subject of this post?  Glacial deposits would be another description. Long ago glaciers swept this area bringing rocks from Canada. When the glaciers melted rocks were left behind, many of which live on my land. Previous owners  of the property were not diligent rock pickers. Using rock picking as a substitute for gym membership I'm trying for rock removal. In that process there were many rocks too large for me, or any of my machines, to handle.

    Enter Tim, from North Dakota. His planned visit to assist with rock removal, and socializing, was foiled by the season's first snowfall last November. Yesterday he arrived and today we rented a mini-excavator and went rock hunting. Smaller rocks were loaded on to the trailer for addition to a rock pile off the field. One large rock was deposited at a fence line. Another was pushed into a wetland where it'll be a roosting site for ducks, pheasants and smaller birds. Then there was  big ben! It was so large the mini-excavator had no hope of lifting it out of the ground.  Tim dug a deep hole next to it, pushed it in and covered it. There it may remain another 10,000 years or more.

   All in all it was a good days work advancing the task of rock removal from this land.

Takk fir alt,

Al

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The mini-excavator on the trailer.

A large rock.

One that's too large to lift, "rest in peace" big ben.

Birds return!

     At the cemetery I recorded these birds this morning: Franklin's Gull, Song Sparrow, Pheasant, Red-winged blackbird, Robin, Grackle and Chipping Sparrow.

I came across this good description..."The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to conserve farmland for future generations while providing habitat for wildlife, reducing soil erosion, and improving water quality."  It was a CRP field that I burned last week.

   Servicing the corn planter this morning I was reminded of sage advice Mark gave me when I acquired it many years ago. It's likely a product of the late 1950s. Corn kernels (seeds) are placed in a round metal box. In the bottom of the box is a plate with serrated edges. As kernels drop into the serration, and as the plate turns, one kernel at time drops into a tube leading to a disc that creating a small furrow into which the kernel drops. A device then covers the seed.

   Mark warned me, that in winter, spiders spin webs that choke off the tubes where kernels drop to the soil. Today three of four tubes had spider webs closing the entrance. His advice saved much trial and error frustration.

Takk for alt,

Al

In response to comment's questions:  I don't know if $300. is a good price. My 80,000 kernels plants 8 acres. The old planter's rows are 38" apart. Now corn is planted at 30", 15" even narrower rows. Thus, 80,000 would not cover many acres. Assume a farmer plants 1000 acres his corn seed will cost a lot. Kernels are so uniform I assume the 80,000 is arrived at by weight.  Seed corn sales is now measured by kernel count. 

This picture of the planter shows the round seed boxes. A pole on either side drops (theoretically) when turning to scratch a line to follow as one returns across he field so rows are evenly space.