THE FARMER'S MANUAL* 69 



increasing the quantity and value of your feed, by 

 bringing in the finer grasses, such as white clover, &c. 

 but will greatly improve your lands for a potatoe fal- 

 low, and a succeeding wheat crop, whenever you may 

 wish to take a proper advantage of a rotine of crops. 



In some parts of our country, the pasture grounds 

 are infested, and too often overrun with the white 

 birch, thorn, and other noxious shrubs; my own ex- 

 perience will not enable- me to say, what are the 

 best and most Effectual methods of clearing, and pre- 

 venting a successive growth ; the owners of such 

 lands might soon ascertain this, and carry it into 

 effect ; this is the most slovenly part of our husband- 

 ry, and must be cured. Bushes cut in the old of the 

 moon in August, and the sign in the heart, generally 

 die. 



Such arable lands, as are worn down by bad til- 

 lage, and upon the dry and hilly parts of your farm, 

 you may reclaim by sowing white clover with oats, 

 two or three pounds to the acre, and devote them to 

 the pasture of your sheep ; half a bushel of plaster, 

 or a bushel to the acre, sown in the spring, or fall, 

 would richly repay the expense and trouble, both in 

 your feeding, as well as in your successive fallow 

 and grain crops. The value of this mode of hus- 

 bandry in fattening your sheep, and bringing forward 

 your lambs, I shall consider under the article Stock. 



One more hint upon pasturing, will close this num- 

 ber. If your pasturing is short in proportion to your 

 stock and arable lands, break up early in the spring, 

 such fields as you design to fallow, (without a fallow 

 crop of potatoes,) and sow a bushel of spring, or 

 winter rye, or one and a half or two bushels of oats 

 to the acre ; they will spring quick and yield you a 

 rich and profitable early feed for your sheep, or 

 cows; in July, or August, you may feed close and 

 cross-plough as usual, without any apparent injury 

 to your successive grain crop ; particularly if you 

 dress your field at sowing, either in the spring, or au- 

 tumn, with ono or two bushels of plaster to the acre. 



