288 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



and the whole made smooth. It was then harrowed }eng;th- 

 wise the furrows, with a horse harrow,, but so lightly as not 

 to disturb the sod. Twenty cart-loads of compost manure, 

 made by mixing two parts of loam or peat mud with one of 

 stable dung, were then spread upon each acre. It was then 

 harrowed again, as before, and the poorer part of t^.e soil, 

 which had been turned up, and remained upon the suiface, 

 was thereby mixed with the compost manure. Corn was 

 then planted in drills upon the furrow, the rows being at the 

 usual distance and parallel with the furrows. At hoeing 

 time, the surface was stirred by running a light plough be- 

 tween the rows, but not so deep at this or the subsequent 

 hoeing as to disturb the sod. What Mr. Lorrain calls the 

 ' savage practice' of hilling up the corn was cautiously 

 avoided. As the season advanced, I carefully watched the 

 progress of my corn-field. In the early part of the season it 

 did not exhibit a very promising appearance ; but as soon as 

 the roots had extended into the enriching matter beneath, 

 and began to expand in the decomposing sward, which had 

 now become mellow, and more minutely divided by the fer- 

 mentation of the confined vegetable substances beneath than 

 it possibly could have been by plough or hoe, the growth 

 became vigorous, and the crop, in the opinion of those who 

 examined the field, not less than seventy bushels of corn to 

 the acre. As soon as the corn was harvested, the stubble 

 was loosened up by running a light horse plough lengthwise 

 through the rows, the surface then smoothed with a bush- 

 harrow, and one bushel of rye, with a sufficient quantity of 

 herd's grass and red top seed, to the acre was then sowed, 

 the ground again harrowed and rolled. The crop of rye 

 was harvested in July following, and the two acres yielded 

 sixty-nine and a half bushels of excellent grain, and over five 

 tons of straw. The grass sowed with the rye took well, and 

 the present season I mowed, what those who secured the 

 crop judged to be, two and a half tons of the very best of 

 hay from each acre. 



' Thus, with one ploughing, with the aid of twenty cart- 

 loads of compost manure to the acre, I have obtained two 

 crops of grain, and stocked the land down to grass.' 



HAY MAKING. It is a matter of much importance to 

 the husbandman that he should take time by the foretop 



