HANDLING STONE. 265 



stones and roots. The land is now ready for manuring, and 

 putting in the seed. After harvesting the piece in the fall, 

 plough again, and once or twice the following spring, when, 

 if the land is not too full of roots and stone, I consider it 

 pretty well conquered. 



Whenever I find a piece of land " bound out," or yield- 

 ing but poorly in grass, I cut the crop early, then plough 

 the land, put on the wheelbarrow, going over it lengthwise 

 and crosswise. For turnips, I put on a top-dressing of com- 

 post of manures, and harrow and brush the piece ready for 

 sowing : if only for cabbages and cucumbers, I furrow and 

 dress in the hill. This process gets the land clear of grass- 

 roots, and well rotted for the next spring's cultivation. After 

 gathering these crops, plough late in the fall, and there will 

 be little to fear from witch-«rass. 



I dig around and blast large stone usually after I have got 

 my fall work done, and sometimes have worked late into the 

 winter, moving them from the ground when it was frozen. 

 A little snow then will render the moving of stone much 

 easier, as a pair of horses will pull more on snow than three 

 will on bare ground. 



These stones I have put in large piles on some knoll, when 

 convenient, until hauled off for sale. Being left on a side- 

 hill or knoll, they can be loaded easier than on level ground. 

 In loading stone I use a skid made from white-oak or locust 

 plank three by six inches, with two cross-pieces bolted on 

 the under-side, leaving the planks about fifteen inches apart 

 for the chains to pass. In summer we use water to wet the 

 ski 1, as this will facilitate the sliding of the stones. I place 

 the skid against the side of the wagon, and with a pair of 

 horses, using a long cable chain made for the purpose, haul 

 the rocks into the wagon, which should be simply a strong 

 platform. 



I plough deep, and like to have all land ploughed two or 

 three times before planting, as I think that horses can pul- 

 verize the land much better than men ; and, if the soil is 

 well ploughed and harrowed, it is very little work to do the 

 hoeing. I. usually sow to grass after the third season of 

 cultivation. The land being ploughed and harrowed, the 

 next step is to apply the manure, and plant. The first year, 

 especially for corn, beans, squashes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and 



