SPR 



SPU 



417 



mers in this country, of any in thp 

 year; partly owing to the loii^ 

 coMlinuance of frost, which com- 

 monly prevents nil kinds of tillage 

 till near the beginning of April; 

 and in the northern parts, till the 

 end of (hat month. l>iit sometimes 

 it IS partly owing also to wliat we 

 might order otherwise, to sowing a 

 larger proportioj) than is necessary 

 of our grain in the spring, and neg- 

 lecting in autumn to cart out so 

 much of our manure as we might, 

 that we complain of being so much 

 hurried with work in the spring. 



But besides tillage and seeding, 

 which are enough to employ the 

 whole time, there are other mat- 

 ters to be attended to at this sea- 

 son. The fences are always to 

 be examined, and repaired : For 

 though they were in good order in 

 the fall preceding, high winds, vio 

 lent storms, and deep snows, may 

 overset, break or settle them, not 

 to mention the gradual decay and 

 rotting of wooden fences. Or the 

 vioietice of frost may heave and 

 disorder them. Con[ipost dunghills 

 it will often be needful to make at 

 this season, especially if the ma- 

 terials were not all obtainable in 

 the preceding autumn. 



But preparing and seeding the 

 ground must not be neglected, nor 

 slightly performed : For as a man 

 soweth, so shall be reap. Slug- 

 gishness at the beginning, will be 

 f('i;owed with want at the end of 

 tli ' year. 



SPi^JiNG GRAIN, that which is 

 sown n» the sprmg. 



Farmers generally think they 

 cannot sow then" wheat and rye too 

 early. But their haste may nossi- 

 .'>3 



bly be too great. It certainly is, 

 if they sow before the ground is 

 sufficiently dry to crumble, and be- 

 come ligfit and fine by ploughing 

 and harrowing. For woiking the 

 ground when it is too wet. will fail 

 of bringing on the needful fermen- 

 tation, and tend to make it too 

 clcje and compact to nourish, 

 plants. At least, these operations 

 may leave the soil as unfit to nour- 

 ish plants as they found it. 



It is of no small importance, I 

 confess, that spring wheat and rye 

 be forward, that so they may not 

 be late in ripening : And a good 

 method of quickening these crops, 

 is fetee;)ing and liming the seed. 

 The same end may be promoted 

 by top-dressings with warm com- 

 posts, ashes, &ic. But land design- 

 ed for this use, should be ploughed 

 and laid rough in autumn. It will 

 be the earlier in a condition to re- 

 ceive the seed in the spring. And 

 none but the driest parts of a farm 

 should commonly be employed for 

 crops of spring wheat or spring rye: 

 As to barley and oats they will bear 

 to be sowed rather later: And 

 therefore are more fit to occupy 

 the lower and wetter parts of a 

 farm. Oats especially are often 

 found to produce great crops in 

 such situations, if they be not sown 

 too early : or before the land is 

 sufficiently dry for the operations 

 of tillage. 



SPRINGE, a device made of 

 twisted wire to catch birds, or other 

 small animals. 



SPUR, a bad distemper in rye. 



The grains which are affected, 

 are thicker and longer than the 

 sound ones, commonly projecting 



