352 



POU 



PRO 



He plants his seed-potatoes in a 

 hot-bed, and cuts off the sprouts, 

 and plants them in their destined 

 spots in the field, three or four 

 sprouts in a hill. In this way po- 

 tatoes are raised earlier, much seed 

 is saved, and much trouble of weed- 

 ing is avoided ; for the sprouts 

 grow so fast, that they sufibcate 

 weeds, &;c. 



The sweet potatoe grows best in 

 a mellow sandy soil, and the richer 

 the soil the better the crop. 



" Sweet potatoes, especially 

 those with red skins, yield a con- 

 siderable quantity of farinaceous 

 matter, which forms a fine nutri- 

 tious jelly, when mixed with water. 

 Bowen^s patent sago is this pow- 

 der, which was for a long time pre- 

 pared by the above person, at Sa- 

 vannah, in Georgia, chiefly for the 

 British army. The process was 

 similar to that which is known in 

 Europe, for procuring the flour of 

 the common polatoe, viz. grating 

 the clean roots, washing the mass 

 through brasssieves of different siz- 

 es, and collecting the flour at the 

 bottom of the vessel which receives 

 the fluid; finally drying it in pans 

 either in the sun or by a tire." 

 Domestic Encyclopedia. 



J. Lowell, Esq. and some others 

 have succeeded in raising this root 

 for several years, in Massachusetts. 

 See Agr. Rep. vol. VI. p. 265. 



POULTRY, all kinds of tame 

 birds, as hens, geese, ducks, tur- 

 keys, &c. 



These may be considered as part 

 of a husbandman's stock : But the 

 keeping of great numbers of dung- 

 hill fowls will not turn to his advan- 

 tage ; as it is certain they will nev- 



er indemnify him for the corn and 

 grain that are requisite for their 

 support. Yet on a farm a few of 

 them may be useful, to pick up 

 what would otherwise be lost. And 

 in this view they seem to be protit- 

 able only part of the year. If con- 

 fined they will not prosper, though 

 they have a yard of some extent ; 

 if not confined they will be mischie- 

 vous to the garden and field. 



Poultry are most easily fattened 

 when kept in a dark place. They 

 should be furnished with gravel, but 

 no water. Barley meal is said to 

 be their best food, which should be 

 mixed so thin with water as to serve 

 them for drink. Their thirst indu- 

 ces them to eat more than they oth- 

 erwise would, in order to extract 

 the water, which is in their food. 

 This should not be put in troughs, 

 but laid on a board, which should 

 be washed every time fresh food is 

 put upon it. F^oul and heated wa- 

 ter, says the Domestic Encyclope- 

 dia, is the sole cause of the pip. 



Hens, which do not lay in the 

 winter, should have access to slack- 

 ed lime, pounded bones, or oyster 

 shells, as something of the kind is 

 necessary to form their shells, which 

 are composed of the phosphate of 

 lime. VV'iien corn is given to fowls 

 it should be crushed, or soaked in 

 water. 



A correspondent of the Ameri- 

 can Farmer is of opinion, from ac- 

 tual experiment, that pot-liquor is 

 a cure for t!ic/^y) in poultry, vol. 

 I. p. 412. 



PRONG IIOE, a hoe with prongs 

 instead of a blade. Four or five 

 prongri are found best. It is easily 

 struck into the ground ; and as the 



