THE farmer’s manual. 
69 
increasing the quantity and value of your feed, by 
bringing in the finer grasses, such as white clover, &c. 
but will greatly improve your lands for a potatoe fal- 
low, and a succeeding wheat crop, whenever you may 
wish to take a proper advantage of a rotine of crops. 
In some parts of our country, the pasture grounds 
are infested, and too often overrun with the white 
birch, thorn, and other noxious shrubs ; my own ex- 
perience will not enable me to say what are the 
best and most effectual methods of clearing, and pre- 
venting a successive growth ; the owners of such 
lands might soon ascertain this, and carry it into 
effect ; this is the most slovenly part of our husband- 
ry, and must be cured. Bushes cut in the old of the 
moon in August, and the sign in the heart, generally 
die. 
Such arable lands, as are worn down by bad til- 
lage, and upon the dry and hilly parts of your farm, 
you may reclaim by sowing white clover with oats, 
two or three pounds to the acre, and devote them to 
the pasture of your sheep; half a bushel of plaster, 
or a bushel to the acre, sown in the spring, or fall, 
would richly repay tlie expense and trouble, both in 
your feeding, as well as in your successive fallow, 
and grain crops. The value of this mode of hus- 
bandry, in fattening your sheep, and bringing forward 
your lambs, I shall consider under the article Stock. 
One more hint upon pasturing, will close this num- 
ber. If your pasturing is short, in proportion to your 
stock, and arable lancfs, break up early in the spring 
such fields as you design to fallow, (without a fallow 
crop of potatoes,) and sow a bushel of spring, or 
winter rye, or one and a half or two bushels of oats 
to the acre; they will spring quick, and yield you a 
rich and profitable early feed for your sheep, or 
cows ; in July, or August, you may feed close and 
cross-plough as usual, without any apparent injury 
to your successive grain cro|) ; particularly if you 
dress your field at sowing, either in the spring, or au- 
tumi^ with one or two bushels of plaster to the acre. 
