54 On Gypsum. 



chiefly of corn stalks. It accumulates in the yards until 

 the winter is over, and is never disturbed until the mo- 

 ment it is to be used. This is always in April immedi- 

 ately after the corn, save what is to occupy the land to 

 be manured, is planted. The manure is carried out, 

 spread on land fallowed in winter, that it may separate 

 easily and mix well with the coarse manure ; a bushel 

 of plaister to the acre is sown on it after it is spread, and 

 it is ploughed in, all on the same day. I have frequently 

 for experiment, left my manure longer periods to rot, 

 undisturbed — made up into large dunghills — mixed 

 and unmixed with earth — covered and uncovered, and 

 in all have suffered a loss of labour and manure, in pro- 

 portion to the deviation from my present practice. 

 When manure is suffered to lie to a second year, I 

 think its loss exceeds a moiety. The best instrument 

 for raising and scattering this coarse manure which I 

 have seen, is a hoe, in its eye, shape, helve and dimen- 

 sion, precisely like what is called here a hilling hoe, but 

 having three strong prongs in place of a blade. These 

 prongs pierce the manure by the fall of this forked hoe, 

 it is taken up without stooping, in as large a parcel as 

 the labourer can manage, and sliaken into the waggon 

 by suffering the helve of the hoe to fall gently on its top 

 piece. 



You ask me the cause of the black heads of wheat 

 in the forvvard kinds I sent you. They are frequent with 

 us. And the forward is more liable to them, than the 

 later wheat. But in no instance have I known them to 

 produce a material injury to the crop. The infected 

 heads perish young, and communicate no distemper to 

 their neighbours ; and the number is never consider- 



