Spring On The Farm

they have no leaves yet on every Branch buds are beginning to swell in the spring Sunshine a robin is hopping about he is just back from his winter home in the South the warm spring sun has melted the ice on the pond willows give another sign of spring on every Branch soft willow flowers have come out they are called katkins in the marsh nearby a red-winged blackbird has also come back from his winter home and here on a warm rock is a little frog he has come into the sunlight after a long winter sleep under rubbish near the pond near the water small plants are green again the spring sun has started them growing here is still another sign of spring this girl is Joan Johnson and here is her brother Jerry they have a kite they want to fly the kite in the strong March wind now will it stay up yes the wind is carrying it far up into the Blue Spring Sky it is April now Mr Johnson has started to plow his Fields Mr Johnson works in the fields all day long he must turn the soil over and get it ready for the seeds he will plant he must plant seeds to raise his corn Mrs Johnson has an important job to do she is going into the little house where she keeps her chickens this hen has been sitting on her eggs for about 3 weeks she has kept them warm and now the eggs are hatching little chicks are breaking out of the shells Mrs Johnson sees one that has just pecked a hole in the Shell with its Bill soon its down will be fluffy like this one that hatched only a short time ago Mrs Johnson keeps many young chicks in this brooders she wants to be sure that the young chicks are warm enough she also gives them water and the right kind of food with good care the chicks will grow fast Joan and Jerry notied that something has happened in this apple tree robins have built a nest they have built it of mud and dry pieces of grass of course Jerry will have to climb the tree to get a closer look he likes to climb trees and he's careful about it now for a good close look what pretty blue eggs four of them robin eggs but the eggs won't hatch if they're not kept warm the children have frightened the mother Robin away so Jerry climbs down carefully he doesn't want to fall and he doesn't want to frighten the robin family the mother Robin is back on the nest now the eggs will be warm again outside the orchard are Wild Plum bushes in Spring they're covered with blossoms Joan likes the pretty blossoms plums will grow where blossoms are now Joan and Jerry are on their way to get cows everywhere they see the beautiful April flowers more signs that spring has come and that life is starting in the woods and Fields winter has gone and spring is here again pretty yellow flowers are blooming on each side of the path they would make a nice bouquet Jerry thinks a pretty handful of flowers for sister Johan don't you think they're nice Joan beautiful Joan thinks as she takes them but now they must go on to get the cows it's fun to pick your way across the brook and not get wet in the pasture are the Johnson's cows they are busy eating the tender spring grass in the pasture the Johnson's keep many cows every afternoon Joan and Jerry find the cows and take them up to the barn for milking it is now the month of May the apple trees are full of blossoms in each Blossom is the beginning of an apple the young robins have hatched their hungry mouths are wide open as their parents feed them they keep the father and mother Robin busy getting food for them Mrs Johnson Too is thinking of food she is getting ready to plant seeds in the garden Joan will do the planting she has a package of pea seeds now a handful dropped in the straight little Furrow her mother has made the sun and the rain will make the peas grow Mr Johnson is getting ready to plant seeds his machine is a corn planter he pours golden grains of corn into a box on the planter now he's ready to plant he will plant a whole field to Corn Mr Johnson steers the planter straight across the field soon the grains of corn will Sprout and grow Jerry likes to explore about the farm in the month of May he he sees so many interesting things what a beautiful big moth it is stretching its wings in the warm sunshine it has just come out of its cocoon it was in this cocoon all winter long Jerry must tell Joan about finding the moth Jerry finds many interesting things this spring morning now what will he find in this field it's something on the ground a baby rabbit he is nearly the color of the dry grass Jerry doesn't want to frighten the baby rabbit baby rabbit feels quite safe in the grass up near the barn Joan has found something interesting whatever it is Jerry likes to look too it's the Johnson's little flock of sheep big woolly sheep and little lambs not quite so woolly Every Spring Lambs are born to the Johnson sheep sometimes the Lambs run and play about more often they're getting milk from their mothers Joan and Jerry think that Springtime is a wonderful time springtime when things begin to grow again