THE FARMER'S MANUAL* 



will pay you well for a bushel or two of plaster, or 

 a few bushels of lime, or leached ashes, to the acre* 



Your orchards continue to claim your attention, 

 finish {riming as.fast a^po^sible, and cart or sled off 

 the bmsV before ihe- gp'ound becomes soft and 

 poachy giy.e to s , each .tree' cU top-dressing of your 

 besfr*,chipj ^fjajbfe; ( Qr, t c6iripost manure; your fruit 

 will richly repay, besides the extra profits upon 

 your grass under your trees, whether mowing or pas- 

 ture, together with the growth of your trees. No far- 

 mer ever paid too much attention to his orchards, nor 

 probably ever will. 



Look to your fences, and see that they secure your 

 orchards, grass and grain lands against your horses, 

 cattle, and sheep. If your fences are bad, you have 

 foiled in vain*; all is at hazard ; all is bad. 



Commence setting your fruit and shade trees ; 

 these, if omitted in December, generally succeed 

 best (when set in the spring) as soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground. Whenever the frost will per- 

 mit, plough your hemp and flax ground, together 

 with such land as you design for peas. Frequent 

 ploughings greatly benefit these crops, and your peas 

 cannot be sown too early to prevent the effects of 

 the bug, and insure you a good crop. 



Look to your water-courses, and change their direc- 

 tion, to receive the benefit of the spring rains ; the 

 frequent changing of your water-courses will render 

 your mowing even, and prevent one part from becom- 

 ing too rank, arid lodging, before the other part is 

 grown fit to cut, and thus turn to your best profit, that 

 which if neglected, would become waste and damage. 



Now is the time to nurse your stock with pota- 

 toes and carrots ; and even your cattle and cows will 

 pay you as well for the use of the curry-comb as 

 your 'horses, and if you nurse them well in the spring, 

 they will repay you with interest through the summer. 

 Let your sheep range upon your old stubble fields, 

 where you have not sown clover for mowing gveen 



