436 



STL 



STU 



belly. Sometimes it is only in one 

 leg, sometimes in both. The cure 

 is difficult, and rarely accomplish- 

 ed. Rubbing and fomentations are 

 recommended, with daily moderate 

 exercise : By which the blood and 

 spirits may be equally derived into 

 the disordered muscle and its cor- 

 responding one. See Gibson and 

 Clark. 



STUBBLE, the stumps of reap- 

 ed grain, or the parts of the stems 

 left standing in the field. 



When the land is light and sandy, 

 the stubble of wheat and rye should 

 be ploughed intothe soil to enrich it. 

 For this will have as good ellcctas 

 a moderate manuring with dung; 

 especially if it be ploughed soon 

 after the crop is taken off; for then 

 the stubble is in its best state. But 

 after it has been exposed for some 

 time to the sun and wind, it has 

 much less virtue in it to enrich the 

 soil. If this operation be perform- 

 ed in season, the stubble, together 

 with what weeds are growing among 

 it, will be equal to the best green 

 dressing. 



But with ploughs of the common 

 construction, the ploughins; of stub- 

 ble ground is disagreeable work ; 

 neither can it be well performed. 

 The plough is so apt to choak up, 

 that it is more than one man can 

 Tvell do to keep it clear. Ploughs 

 for this work should be much deep- 

 er built than the common ones. 

 And this work might be greatly 

 facilitated, if a heavy roller were 

 passed over the stubble, to lay it 

 flat to the ground before ploughing. 

 When this is doing, great care should 

 be taken to pass the roller the same 

 \xay that the plough is to go. By 



means of this,thecoultervvill but sel- 

 dom be clogged with the stubble. If 

 this rolling be neglected, a small 

 roller annexed to the fore end of 

 the plough beam, in ihe place of a 

 foot, or even a foot itself,will greatly 

 helptoclear the way for the coulter. 



When stubble is on a soil that is 

 stiff, it is not accounted so advisa- 

 ble to plough it in. For such land 

 is not apt to cover (he stubble so 

 closely as to cause it speedily to 

 putrely. It will often lie in a sound 

 unaltered stale for a long time, and 

 be very troublesome at the next 

 ploughing. 



But if the ground should be 

 seeded after one ploughing, it might 

 be cxpecled the stuble would ren- 

 der the ground so hollow and ca- 

 vernous as to starve many of the 

 plants that grow upon the surface. 

 At the same time these hollows 

 would be receptacles for noxious 

 insects and vermin. But in a light 

 sandv soil, the stubble is soon re- 

 duced to a condition to nourish 

 vegetables. 



The better way, therefore, to 

 dispose of the stubble on stiff lands, 

 is, to mow it, collect it, and carry 

 it into the farm yard ; where, by 

 the trampling of the cattle, and 

 mixing it with their excrements, 

 it will be converted, before the 

 following spring, into a rich and 

 valuable manure. And it is almost 

 incredible how much a farm may 

 be, in this way, improved and fer- 

 tilized. 



While in the old countries they 

 are under the necessity of making 

 use of part of their stubble, in 

 thatching the roofs of their build- 

 ings, and of part of it for fuel, the 



