FEBRUARY. Q5 



;es are practised. One is, to take the water 

 off by dav, to prevent the scum, and to turn it on 

 again at night, to guard against the frost : the 

 other method is, to take the water off early in the 

 morning, and if that day be dry, to suitor it to re- 

 main oft* for a few days and nights ; for if the land 

 experiences only one drying day, the frost at night 

 will do little injury. The former of these practices, 

 where it is found not too troublesome, is preferable 

 to the latter. About the middle of this month, 

 the floater begins to use the water rather more 

 sparingly than in autumn or winter, for his chief 

 object now is, to encourage or force vegetation. 



In the last week of this month, if the preceding 

 management has been good, there will be a good 

 bite for ewes and lambs. 



Mr. Boswell prescribes rolling after Candlemas. 



POTATOES. 



This root is one of the most profitable crops the 

 farmer can cultivate; nor does the advantage of 

 it depend on markets for selling them ; for they 

 will pay a beneficial price, if given to cattle of va- 

 rious sorts, or hogs. In Ire-land they feed their 

 cows on them with profit. The land designed for 

 potatoes, I suppose to have been ploughed in au- 

 tumn. They are to be planted next month, or 

 in April ; and, as they affect a good tilth, it will 

 be advisable to plough the land this month, prepa- 

 ratory to the planting earth, provided the weather 

 be dry enough : but in the preparation for this, 



as 



