256 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



enable Wood's plough, No. 2, drawn by four oxen, to plough 

 fourteen inches deep. Fresh barn-yard manure was equally 

 spread upon the surface, and ploughed under in the early 

 part of April, in quantities not larger than are generally used 

 for potato crops in this country. Early in May, the land 

 was twice stirred with Beatson's scarifier, harrowed, rolled ; 

 after stirred, harrowed and rolled again in the opposite 

 direction." The soil on which Messrs. Tristram Little and 

 Henry Little, of Newbury, Massachusetts, raised their premi- 

 um crop in 1824, is a clay loam. In 1823, about three- 

 fourths of the same was sowed with onions, and manured 

 with about eight cords of compost manure to the acre. The 

 other quarter was sowed with wheat without manure. In 

 the fall of 1823, there were about ten cords of compost ma- 

 nure-drawn on the lot, and put in a heap. Most of the said 

 compost was drawn from the salt marshes, when ditching 

 the same ; the other part was from the barn-yard. In the 

 month of April, 1824, the heap was thrown over, and well 

 mixed. 



' Planting. Colonel Powel says, " The holes for the seeds 

 were made by a wheel, containino- pegs in its circumference, 

 which penetrated the ground about an inch, leaving intervals 

 of four inches; the rows were made two feet asunder; two 

 capsules were dropped into each hole ; the wheel of a com- 

 mon barrovf was passed over them, thus compressing the 

 earth, and leaving a slight rut for the retention of moisture." 



' Messrs. Tristram and Henry Little observe, that, " Be- 

 tween the 8th and 11th of May, the land was ploughed and 

 sowed in the following manner : — After one deep ploughing, 

 the ground was furrowed two and a half feet apart, and the 

 manure put into the furrovv'^s, and covered with a double 

 mould-board plough ; a roller was then passed on the top of 

 the ridge, and the seed dibbled in with the finger over the 

 manure, about six or eight inches apart." The quantity of 

 seed, according to English writers, is four pounds to an acre. 

 Mr. David Little, in obtaining a premium crop, sowed four 

 pounds, but observed that he thought half that quantity 

 would have been sufficient. 



' After -culture. In raising colonel Powel's crop, " A small 

 cultivator, which I had contrived for the purpose, was drawn 

 between the rows soon after the weeds appeared ; a three 

 inch triangular hoe removed the alternate plants, leaving the 

 others at distances varying from eight to twelve inches asun- 

 der. The cultivator was twice used before the 20th of July. 



