DRO 



DUN 



ir 



four inches in depth would scarce- 

 ly alter the condition of the plants. 

 But if the plough has gone only to 

 this depth, a severe drought will 

 be fatal to the crop. 



It would greatly advantage the 

 farmer, if he could foretel whether 

 a season will be dry or wet. But 

 as he knows this is impossible, he 

 should so conduct his crops, and 

 other matters, that he may be pre- 

 pared for either extreme. 



The earlier a drought begins,the 

 more distressing it generally proves 

 in this country. For, after the 

 grass crops and English grain have 

 nearly got their growth, a drought 

 is less detrimental than before, be- 

 cause the Indian corn, by means of 

 the tillage given while the plants 

 are growing, bears it so well as to 

 be seldom cut short by it : And In- 

 dian corn is the principal of our 

 late crops. 



Pasture lands are often so dried 

 up, that both the meat and drink 

 of the cattle are cut off at once. — 

 This shews the propriety and ne- 

 cessity of having some low lands in 

 pasture, when it is practicable. — 

 And a few trees, growing at proper 

 distances in a pasture, will partial- 

 ly shade the soil, and prevent its 

 drying so rapidly. More grass 

 will be produced : and the cattle 

 will be refreshed by the shade ; 

 besides the advantage the farmer 

 will gain in fuel and timber. In 

 those parts of the country where 

 trees have become scarce, the 

 omission of planting quick-growing 

 trees in our pasture grounds is un- 

 pardonable. When a pasture is 

 destitute of water, Mr. Eliot ad- 

 vises to dig a well on the side of 



some hill in the pasture, and hav- 

 ing come to water, to dig a trench 

 below, level with the bottom of the 

 well, and bring the water through 

 a hollow drain out to the surface, 

 where it may be kept in a little ba- 

 sin, made in the soil, for a water- 

 ing place. This practice is now 

 common in some part* of our coun- 

 try, and even the conveyance of 

 water \n aqueducts. 



DUNG, the excrements of ani- 

 mals, used to increase the fertility 

 of land. Dung may be said to be 

 almost of the same importance to 

 th,e farmer, as stock in trade is to 

 the merchant. There are but few 

 lots or pieces of lots, in this coun- 

 try, which can be tilled to any 

 great profit, in the common way of 

 culture, without manure ; and dung 

 is of all manures the most useful. 

 The very best of soils, when dung- 

 ed, will more than pay for it, by 

 the increase of their crops, and the 

 poorest will produce next to no- 

 thing without manure. Some think 

 it more profitable to apply dung to 

 their best soils than to their poor- 

 est, as they think the increase from 

 it to be greater in the former case 

 than in the latter. This opinion is 

 probably founded in truth. 



The sorts of dung which are, or 

 may be used, are that of black cat- 

 tle, sheep, horses, swine, goats, 

 hens, pigeons, ducks, geese and 

 rabbits, besides human ordure. 



The dung of animals consists of 

 oils, fixed and volatile salts, togeth- 

 er with nitrous and earthy parti- 

 cles.» But in different sorts of dung 

 these principles are differently 

 compounded ; so that the dung of 

 one animal is a proper manure for 



