STO 



STO 



431 



field, it is purchased at an easy rate 

 by removing the stone. 



But another method of breaking 

 rocks, which ought to be generally 

 known, and which sometimes turns 

 out cheaper^ is this : Drill two holes 

 in a stone, ranging with the grain, 

 when that can be discovered by 

 the eye. Then filling each hole 

 with two semi cylindrical pieces of 

 iron, drive a long steel wedge be- 

 tween them. The stone will thus 

 be split open. And, commonl}. 

 very regular shaped pieces for 

 building may be thus obtained. 



Another method is, to burn an 

 inflammable piece of dry wood, 

 laid on the part where you wish a 

 flat rock to open. Thus the rock 

 is heated in a straight line, and 

 may be made to open in that part, 

 by a smart blow of a maul. This 

 method oflen answers well when 

 the stones are flat shaped, and not 

 too thick. 



That stones which are so large 

 as to obstruct the operations of 

 husbandry, ought to be removed 

 from land in tillage, all will agree. 

 But it has been long a disputed 

 point, whether the smaller stones 

 should be taken away. Some have 

 contended that they add fertility to 

 the soil. 



That the moisture of the soil is 

 as much greater, as the proportion 

 of room the stones take up in the 

 soil is undeniable ; unless the stones 

 occasion some evaporation. But 

 many fields need not any increase 

 of moisture, but would rather be 

 improved, by being made as much 

 drier as they can be, by removing 

 the stones from the surface. 



M. Duhamel is of opinion, that 



no stones increase fruitfulness, un- 

 less they be lime stojtes, marie, or 

 those that are of a calcareous na- 

 ture. These, by rubbing against 

 each other, &c. in the operations 

 of tillage, do probably yield a dust 

 that increases the richness of land. 



But all stones in tillage land are 

 so troublesome, and so much in- 

 crease the labour of tillage, that, 

 when they are not calcareous, they 

 should be taken away, or at least 

 so much thuined, that ploughing 

 and hoeing may be comfortably 

 performed, and without much in- 

 jury to the tools used by the farm- 

 er. Fixed stones under the sur- 

 face should be removed, or so sunk 

 by diging under them as to put 

 them out of the plough's way, 

 that ploughing may be performed 

 without danger of destroying the 

 plough. 



To know whether stones are 

 calcareous or not, they should be 

 tried with aqua fortis, or spirit of 

 sea salt. For stones on which the 

 spirit does not eflfervesce, can be 

 of no advantage to the soil. By 

 the way, I do not expect that 

 calcareous stones will be found in 

 many fields in this country. 



Ground that is laid down for 

 mowing must have even the small 

 stones taken out of the way of the 

 scithe. But, instead of pickmg 

 them up, some recommend driving 

 them down into the soil, when the 

 ground is so soft in the spring that 

 it can be easily done. In this case 

 a field will not be disfigured with 

 the heaps, nor any of the surface 

 lost. 



STOCKING, or SHOCKING, 

 setting sheaves into shocks to guard 

 corn from wet. 



