298 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



the food, and lime and ashes in abundance in the nests and 

 poultry-house. 



JEE-ABOUT IN PLOWING. 



I have a letter from H. Watkins of Poughkeepsie, on this sub- 

 ject. He says : 



" I, too, like the 'Jee-about' plan. But to begin in the middle 

 of the field, as suggested before the Club some time since, seems 

 to me objectionable, as it would require too much and too nice 

 engineering to adjust matters to the shape of your field so as to 

 avoid an awkward finish. However, as it is easier to point out 

 defects in the plan of another than to discover them in our own, 

 I propose to give you the procedure that after many years' prac- 

 tice proved so satisfactory to me (don't remember that I origin- 

 ated it) and let you look after defects. To wit : If, e. g., you 

 wish to plow your field in the direction of north and south, draw 

 a furrow parallel to and of sufficient distance from the fences at 

 the north and south ends to accommodate the length of your team, 

 say four paces, or so that it can come square out. Then go to the 

 side you wish to begin at (east or west, as the case may be) and 

 at each corner, end on the line of these furrows, pace off from 

 the side fence first four paces, (or a distance corresponding with 

 that between the furrow and fence at the north and south ends,) 

 then add seven paces more, and with your team at this point and 

 a monument at the other end of the field, commence what is termed 

 by most farmers a back-fui-roiv, setting the plow in at the furrow 

 where you are and throwing it out on reaching the one at the 

 monument end; Jee-abotd, and so on until your back-furrow is 

 about fourteen paces wide, when the strip unplowed between it 

 and tlie fence will be about four paces, or the width desired ; then 

 measure off seven paces from the inner edge of the back-furrow 

 and proceed as at first, taking care only to arrange so that your 

 last back-furrow when done shall leave a strip of unplowed land 

 of equal width around the entire field, which can be neatly and 

 beautifully finished, as you will see, by a grand Jee-about. 



MISSOURI CHALLENGES THE UNITED STATES. 



Solon Robinson read a letter from Walter Sigerson inclosing tne 

 challenge of John Sigerson & Brother of St. Louis, to show farms 

 with any or all competitors in the United States for a sweep-stakes 

 of $500, to be paid by each owner of a farm who enters the lists. 

 Entries of farms to be made before August; to be examined in 

 September and October, and the premium to be awarded after 



