SHI 



SIA 



the lumps of fresh-burned lime before 

 slacking. 



SHELL MARL. This is very rich 



in tlio rcinaiiis of shells : it is the 

 best kind, and may oltcn be profitably 

 burned for lime. 



SHELLS. When burned, they 

 form the best lime. In the pounded 

 state they resemble the best marls, 

 but the shells of crabs, lobsters, and 

 animals of that kind {(Jrustaccans) 

 are rich in animal matter and bone 

 earth, containing from 30 to 40 per 

 cent, of the former, and 12 to 14 of 

 the latter, the remainder being car- 

 bonate of lime ; it would be a great 

 loss to burn them : but oyster, and 

 other similar shells, contain very lit- 

 tle animal matter. 



SHELL SAND. The shelly sand 

 of the seashore, or ancient sea beach- 

 es, is extensively employed in France 

 and Ireland as a manure, or, rather, 

 amendment : fifty or more loads are 

 put to the acre of stiffish soil. It is 

 identical with sandy marl in its ef- 

 fects, but somewhat superior, inas- 

 much as it often contains a small 

 amount of animal and saline matters. 

 Its value is, like that of all marls, 

 measured by the proportion of shells 

 it contains. 



SHEPHERD. The man who tends 

 sheep ; he should be of a kind dispo- 

 sition, as sheep are wayward and ob- 

 stinate ; he should be well acquamt- 

 ed with their diseases, and take an 

 interest in his charge. Many diseas- 

 es of sheep are so sudden and fatal, 

 that unless they are constantly under 

 the eye of a well-informed and kind 

 person, numbers will die annually. 



SHERDS. Fragments of garden 

 pots, used to under-drain the soil of 

 boxes, pots, &c. 



SHIELDS. "In botany, little col- 

 oured cups or lines with a hard disk, 

 surrounded by a rim, and containing 

 the sporules, or seeds of lichens." 



SHIFT OF CROPS. Rotations. 



SHIM. " A tool of the tillage kind, 

 used in breaking down and reducing 

 the more stiff and heavy sorts of 

 land, as well as cutting up and clear- 

 ing tliem from weeds. They are made 

 of different forms and constructions, 

 716 



to suit different purposes." — {John' 

 son.) 



SHINGLE. A coarse, sea-shore 

 gravel. 



SHINGLES. " In architecture, 

 small slabs of wood, or quartered 

 boards, used instead of slates or tiles 

 for covering roofs. They are sawn 

 to a certain scantling, or, ratiier, 

 cleft to about an inch thick at one 

 end, and shaped like wedges by ma- 

 chines or the drawing-knife, four or 

 five inches broad and eight or nine 

 inches long." The cedar yields the 

 finest shingles. Shingle roofs should 

 always have a very considerable pitch 

 to let off water. 



SHOCKS. Stooks, or hattocks, 

 horse-heads ; assemblages of sheaves, 

 from six to twelve, independently of 

 the two or four hood, or roof sheaves. 

 Also, an accumulation of hay of 100 

 to 300 pounds. 



SHORE. A piece of timber which 

 props up a wall. 



SHORT HORNS. The breed of 

 cattle with short horns, considerably 

 improved, and now much celebrated 

 in the United States under the naino 

 of Durhams. 



SHOV^EL. The wide curved spade 

 for casting earth, and not digging. 



SHREW. SoncidcE. A family of 

 small, insectivorous, rodent quadru- 

 peds ; they resemble the moles, and, 

 on the other hand, mice, and live, for 

 the most part, in excavations made 

 in the soil. 



SHRUB. "A small, low, dwarf- 

 ish tree, v.hich, instead of one single 

 stem, puts forth from the same root 

 several sets or stems." A collection 

 of these, tastefully arranged, is a 

 shrubbery. 



SHUCK. The husk, or collection 

 of involucra about the corn ear. 

 Shucks are much esteemed for fod- 

 der, being very superior to straw and 

 corn fodder. When cut into shreds, 

 they make a good material for mat- 

 trasses. This word is also used for 

 shock. 



SHY. Starting aside, in horses : 

 the result of fear, produced by strange 

 objects. 



SIALAGOGES. Drugs which pro- 



