54 3 On Gypsuni. 
chiefly of corn stalks. It accumulates in the vards until 
the winter is over, and is never disturbed until the mo- 
ment it is to be used. This is always in April immedi- 
ately after the corn, save what is to occupy the land to 
be manured, is planted. The manure is carried out, 
spread on land fallowed in winter, that 1t may separate 
easily and mix well with the coarse manure ; a bushel 
of plaister to the acre is sown on it after it is spread, and 
it is ploughed in, all on the same day. Ihave frequently 
for experiment, left my manure longer periods to rot, 
undisturbed—made up into large dunghills—mixed 
and unmixed with earth—covered and uncovered, and 
in all have suffered a loss of labour and manure, in pro- 
portion to the deviation from my present practice. 
When manure is suffered to he to a second year, I 
think its loss exceeds a moicty. The best instrument 
for raising and scattering this coarse manure which | 
have seen, is a hoe, in its eye, shape, helve and dimen- 
sion, precisely like what is called here a hilling hoe, but 
having three strong prongs in place of a blade. ‘These 
prongs pierce the manure by the fall of this forked hoe, 
it is taken up without stooping, in as large a parcel as 
the labourer can manage, and shaken into the waggon 
by suffering the helve of the hoe to fall gently on its top 
piece. | | 
You ask me the cause of the black heads of wheat 
in the forward kinds I sent you. ‘They are frequent with, 
us.. And the forward is more liable to them, than the 
later wheat. But in no instance haved known them to 
produce a material injury to the crop. “The tnfected 
heads perish young, and communicate no distemper to 
their neighbours ; and the number is never consider- 
