44 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



best crops. The land should be perfectly free of stones, 

 It is best to plough but one way; not to cross- plough ; for 

 this is only necessary in rough hard ground, for breaking 

 clods and other obstructions to the plough ; but, for the 

 mere purpose of mellowing land, cross-ploughing is riot 

 more efficacious than constantly ploughing one way. In 

 this way, where you make the parting- furrow, you begin 

 the next time to make the back-furrow, and thus you keep 

 the depth of the earth that is stired by the plough equal, 

 which is essential to the equal growth of carrots. The 

 ground ought to be ploughed in this way in the Fall, and 

 then but little will be requisite to prepare it in the 

 Spring. After ploughing in the Spring, it ought to be 

 finely harrowed, and then it will be fited for the reception 

 of the seed. 



The sowing is performed, either in the broadcast way or 

 the drill. In the former, the seed is covered with a rake 

 instead of a barrow, to prevent its being covered too deep. 

 The first hoeing being gone through, after they have 

 arrived to a suitable size, the ground is all harrowed over; 

 and they are then to be gone over again, for the purpose of 

 uncovering those which the harrow may have covered : This 

 is also a proper time for thining them where they are too 

 thick ; they should stand from about four to six inches apart. 

 They may, however, be thined after this, when they have 

 got to some size ; and then those which are puled out may 

 be given to the Hogs, as they are very fond of them, and 

 will readily eat both roots and tops. As soon as they have 

 got so large that the tops will cover the ground, they will 

 stop the further growth of weeds. For 'Neat-cattle and 

 Hogs, they cannot be too large ; and therefore ought to be 

 sown as early as the fore part of May, if the ground and 

 season will admit: They will, however, do very well when 

 sown as late as the latter end of May, and such are the 

 best for culinary purposes. 



The garden-hoe is proper for working among them : 

 It must be sharp for cuting weeds, and about four inches 

 wide; and on the other side of the handle is fixed four 

 small prongs, similar to those of a dungfork, for the pur- 

 pose of stiring up the ground. 



Drilling, or sowing in rows, would be much the best, 

 \*ere it not for the tediousness of the operation. The 

 seed must be droped into the rows by hand, unless some 

 drill-machine can be devised by which to commit them to 

 the earth more rapidly. This, probably, might be done, 

 notwithstanding the seeds are so badly shaped for that pur- 

 pose. It they were first rubed smartly together, so as to 

 mike them of rounder shape, then made wet with lye or 

 brine, and dried with gypsum, and this repeated till the 



