84 
THE PARMER^S MANUAL. 
your soil, or lessen the value of your wheat, or rye 
crop, tl\e experiment may be tried with safety, and 
with strofit; probability of success. Before that most 
valuable article, plaster of Paris, came into use, or 
the mode of tillage, by deep ploughing, with buck- 
wheat, or clover, were known as above, I have reco- 
vered my old tired fallows by suffering them to lie for 
pasturing, 2 or 3 years ; and then, after a summer’s 
feeding, have turned over the sward, and sown rye 
with good success upon one ploughing, when 1 could 
catch a dry seed-time, so as to render my field mel-'* 
low with the harrow ; and with bad crops under a wet 
seed-time, when my land was heavy. This mode of 
tillage would be greatly improved, by sowing one or 
two bushels of plaster upon the first year’s pasturing, 
and by tilling with a potatoe fallow with plaster, 
when you plough up your field. If you sow plaster 
broad-cast upon your furrows, before you plant your 
potatoes, it will best improve, both your potatoe and 
rye crop, or if you choose to sow plaster, cither in 
or upon the hills of your potatoes, you may sow your 
plaster with your grain, at seed-time, and cover it 
liglyly with the harrow, ..or upon your grain without 
covering ; both will answer well. 
How to preserve your lands in the highest possible 
state of cultivation, at the least possible expense, I 
have attempted to show under the article Rotine, or 
Change of Qrops. 
Harvest. 
For this most important business, you have had a 
whole season, or I may say nearly a whole year to 
prepare. 1 presume, not one single farmer has left 
this employment to be attended to collaterally, when 
some other jobs may be finished ; but has had his 
eye upon it as a tvoik of the first moment, and is now 
ready with hands, and tools, and teams, provided. 
Your rye harvest first claims your attention; is 'the 
