FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 143 



H. 



HARROWS AND HARROWING. In regard to shape> 

 the three- square harrow is as good as any; but let it be 

 long and narrow, for stoney or stumpy grounds, and wider 

 where the ground is smooth. The essentials for a good 

 harrow are, to have long heavy teeth, made of iron, and 

 pointed with steel at the ends. Where the land is rough, 

 there ought to be fewer teeth than where it is smooth. 

 The teeth of the harrow, for rough ground, ought to be 

 set slanting a little backward, so that it will not get fastened 

 on the stones, roots, or stumps ; and, on the contrary, where 

 it is used for smooth ground, they ought to be set slanting 

 considerably forward. 



In stoney rough grounds, harrowing cannot be performed 

 to so much advantage, as on smooth grounds ; and every 

 Farmer ought to make his grounds smooth : Two or three 

 good harrowings may be as good as a ploughing. Harrow- 

 ing ought to be performed, on wet ground, in a dry time, 

 and in the middle of the day. On dry lands, it is best to 

 harrow in the mornings, while the dew is on, and when the 

 ground is moderately dry. It ought to be harrowed before 

 seeds are sown ; otherwise they will be buried of unequal 

 depths and will come up in rows; most of the seeds being 

 in that case thrown into the bottoms of the furrows. 



On furrows of green sward turned under, the harrow 

 must be loaded with more than Us common weight, which 

 in all cases ought to be pretty heavy, and run lengthways 

 with the furrows. Where seed is sown on ridges, the har- 

 row ought also to be run lengthways. Perhaps, in such 

 cases, it is best to let the land remain in the furrows, as it 

 is left by the plough ; the seed, in such cases, being usually 

 ploughed in. 



Harrowing meadow lands, where they become bound, or 

 where they become cold and mossy, is of essential service 

 to them, and will make them produce much more largely 

 the following years. The best time to do this is in the 

 Spring, while the ground is soft. If the meadow be too 

 wet, however, for Spring-harrowing, it ought to be done in 

 the drier part of the Fall ; and, in such case, if a dressing 

 of Horse or Sheep dung, mixed with sand, be laid on, pre- 

 vious to the harrowing, it will be of essential service. 



Harrowing wheat and rye in the Spring is considered, by 

 European Writers, to be very beneficial; but doubtless this 

 ought to be done very carefully; and it is advised, by 



