140 



FLA 



FLA 



ty, the best cultivated district in 

 New York as a manure for flax, 

 on which its good effects are as 

 apparent as on corn. 



" The late Chancellor Living- 

 ston viewed a piece of flax on the 

 2GthofMay, 179 J, belonging to a 

 poor tenant, very injudiciously 

 sown on a dry sandy declivity, it 

 looked so extremely sickly that 

 the tenant thought of ploughing it 

 up; theChancellor gave him three 

 bushels of plaster, which was sown 

 the next morning before the dew 

 was off, and had the satisfaction of 

 seeing his tenant gather more flax 

 from his half acre in an uncommon 

 dry season,than was produced from 

 any acre in the neighbourhood. 



"The best preparatory crops in 

 this country, at present appear to 

 be potatoes, corn and roots ; they 

 will most generally repay the extra 

 manure, and if well managcd,check 

 the production of weeds. 



"The following rotations may 

 serve as an outline subject to be 

 varied, and hemp or other crops in- 

 troduced as circumstances require, 

 viz: 



No. L Low, cold^ or reclaimed 

 soils, 



1st year, Potatoes. 



2d do. Flax with seeds. 



3d do. Herds ofmssand red-top, 

 or tall meadow oat grass, to conti- 

 nue three years or more, and the 

 course repeated. 



No. II. Strong Uplands. 



1st year Potatoes or Corn. 



2d do. Corn or Roots. 



3d do. Flax with seed. 



4th do. Clover. 



5th do. Orchard grass or Herds- 

 grass, to continue three years or 

 more. 



No. III. Light Lands. 



1st year Potatoes or Corn. 



2d do. Corn or Roots. 



3d do. Flax with seed. 



4th do. Clover, to be mown 

 once, the after growth to be turned 

 in, and rve sown thick on the fur- 

 row, which may be soiled, or fed 

 in the spring by sheep or milch 

 cows, and ploughed in for 



5th year Com. 



6th do. Spring Wheat ov Barley. 



7th do. Clover, and the course 

 to be pursued as before, when flax 

 will occupy the land every seventh 

 year. In all cases, except when 

 hemp is substituted, the tillage 

 crops should receive the dung. 



If the land is ploughed into beds, 

 or convex ridges like turnpike 

 roads, about a rod wide, espe- 

 cially if low and level, the crop 

 will be much more secure from in- 

 jury by heavy rains, and the grass 

 crops will be better if it remains in 

 that form. On any soils, fall 

 ploughing in narrow ridges will fa- 

 cilitate its early working in spring, 

 and should not be dispensed with." 



Mr. Pomeroy gives the following 

 directions relative to 



Choice of Seed. 



" That of the last year's growth 

 should be obtained if possible. 

 The usual marks of good seed are, 

 that it be plump, oily and heavy, 

 of a bright brown colour, sinking 

 readily in the water, and when 

 thrown into the tire to crackle 

 and blaze quick. A very simple 

 method of trial is to sprinkle it thin 

 between two pieces of wet paper, 

 which plunge into a hot-bed or 

 dung-hill, and in less than twenty- 

 four hours the proportion that will 

 vegetate can be discerned, which 



