Tbne of Entry on Farms. 



329 



description of soil or climate will not answer in another. Every 

 country has its variety of local practice, which the scientific 

 farmer will be able to decipher, and adopt the best parts of. 

 Study, therefore, and learn to listen patiently to an account of 

 local usages and practice, which may serve you well some day 

 in combination with your otherwise acquired general farming 

 knowledge. Drury anticipated years ago, by the use of common 

 sense and observation, many points of agricultural practice which 

 have since been put upon the base of science. 



Purify Premises, — At entry, have every stable and cow- 

 house, every rubbing-post and shed, thoroughly cleansed of all 

 possible infection by a good washing with a solution of chloride 

 of lime. You may so escape many a dangerous or troublesome 

 disease, such as glanders, scab, &c., the seeds of which would 

 otherwise have been lurking for an opportunity of communicat- 

 ing their contagion. 



Thin Soicing is by some, as by Mr. Mechi, warmly advised ; 

 by others, as by Mr. Beasley, condemned, because 



" corn should not be encoin-ap;ecl to tiller. If the plants are sufficiently thick 

 in spring they at once send up the stalk ; but if the roots are thin they send 

 out lateral shoots, wliich strihe in the earth and produce new plants. The first 

 X^lant is weakened by having to produce auxiliarj' ]ilants, and the plants of the 

 second growth do not come to maturity so early as the original or parent ])lant. 

 The quality of the crop is thus injured, as there are always more light and 

 defective corns in a thin-sown than in a thick-sown crop ; besides that there is 

 less seed to meet the contingencies of wireworm, grub, or very severe 

 weather." 



Hoeing on a light soil increases tail-wheat, and without imme- 

 diate roiling to follow there will be a great deficiency of crop. 

 Others are of opinion that hoeing cuts the small fibres of the 

 wheat and lets it fall. I have adopted with success Mr. Beasley 's 

 plan of sowing at intervals of 4 and 14 inches, making 18 inches 

 between the two outside rows, exactly as when the rows ai-e 9 

 inches apart ; thus — 



14 



14 



The 14-inch intervals are thus caught and cleaned by the horse- 

 hoe, while the plant escapes all risk. 



Wages. — Pay your workmen on Friday in small silver ; the 

 poor fellows will then not have to enter a publichouse or shop to 

 obtain change, where they are always expected to spend some 

 portion of their weekly pittance in return for the accommodation. 



