MOW 



MOW 



277 



selves needlessly by not attending 

 to this circumstance. 



Mowinf^ with a company ought 

 to be avoided by those who are not 

 yery strong, or who are little used 

 to the busmess, or who have not 

 their tools in the best order. Young 

 lads, who are ambitious (o be 

 thought good mowers, often find 

 themselves much hurt by mowing 

 in company. 



Mowers should not follow too 

 closely after each other : For this 

 has been the occasion of fatal 

 wounds. And when the dangerous 

 tool IS carried from place to place, 

 it should be bound up with a rope of 

 grass,or otherwise equally secured- 



" Mr. de Lisle introduced in Eng- 

 land, the mowing of wheat. The 

 method is this : The scythe he uses 

 is at least six inches shorter in the 

 blade than the common scythe ; and 

 instead of a cradle, has two twigs 

 of osier put semi-circular wise into 

 holes made in the handle of the 

 scythe, near the blade, in such a 

 manner that one semi-circle inter- 

 sects the other, 



"By this method of mowingwheat, 

 the standing corn is always at the 

 left hand. The mower mows it in- 

 ward, bearing the corn he cuts on 

 his scythe, till it come to that which 

 is standing, against which it gently 

 leans. After every mower follows 

 a gatherer, who, being provided 

 with a hook or stick, about two feet 

 long, gathers up the corn, makes it 

 into a gavel, and lays it gently on 

 the ground. This must be done 

 with spirit,as another mower imme- 

 diately follows." Complete Farmer. 

 As reaping is slow and laborious 

 work, it would be right for our 



countrymen to learn this method 

 of mowing their wheat; which will 

 undoubtedly answer also for other 

 sorts of grain. 



MOWING GROUND, a name 

 commonly given in this country to 

 land that is mowed for hay ; wl.ich 

 being fit for either mowing or til- 

 lage, is occasionally used for the 

 latter. 



The generality of farmers, in 

 this country, lamentably mistake 

 their intei est, by having too laige 

 a proportion of their lands in grass 

 tor mowii'g. Half the usual quan- 

 tity with the best managemint, 

 would produce as much hay as 

 th«>y need, a great deal more than 

 they commonly get ; besides sav- 

 ing them expense and niuch hard 

 labour ; and allow them to convert 

 half their mowing land to tillage 

 or pasture ; especially to the latter, 

 which is m I'St wanted. 



A New England farmer is not 

 contented, unless he yearly mows 

 over the greater part of his clear- 

 ed land ; because he supposes that 

 if he does not, he shall be able to 

 winter but a small stock. His 

 grass on the most of his acres must 

 needs be very thin, even when 

 the seasons are most favourable ; 

 therefore, if a summer happen to 

 be dry, the soil, which is so poorly 

 covered as to retain neither dews 

 nor lains, is unavoidabi) parched 

 and bound. The grass, thus, de- 

 prived of its nouriiliment. does not 

 get half its usual growth in a dry 

 season ; and the crop turns out to 

 be almost nothing. The di>trcss- 

 ed farmer, not knowing how lo get 

 fodder for bis cattle in the ensuing 

 winter, with severe labour or cost. 



