fty or sixty acres are enough to clear at first, till his
boys are old enough to give him assistance.

Clearing up too large a farm, when labour is so high, is not wise, for
it will not answer to disburse much for hire, at the present prices.
If, therefore, you are not able to cultivate what you have cleared
properly, it will grow up again with raspberries, blackberries, small
trees, and brush, and be nearly as bad to clear as it was at first.

The size of the farm must, however, depend on the resources of the
emigrant, the strength and number of his family, and the quantity of
acres he may possess.

In the month of May the settler should spring-burn three or four acres,
and log them up for his spring-crops, such as potatoes and Indian-corn.
The Indian-corn should be planted with the hoe in rows, three feet
apart and thirty inches in the row. A pumpkin-seed or two should be
sown in every second or third hole in each third row. The corn must be
earthed or hilled up by drawing the mould close round the roots, and
five or six inches up the stalks, which should be done when the plants
are fifteen or sixteen inches high. No further cultivation is necessary
until the time of cutting, except breaking off some shoots from the
roots, if too many are thrown out.

Potatoes on the new land are also planted with the hoe, and in hills of
about five thousand to the acre. A hole is scraped with the hoe, in
which four or five sets, or a whole potato is dropped. The earth is
then heaped over them in the form of a mole-hill, but somewhat larger.
After the plants have appeared above the surface, a little more mould
is drawn around them. Very large crops of potatoes are raised in this
manner. Two hundred and fifty bushels per acre are no uncommon crop. I
have assisted in raising double that quantity; but of late years, since
the disease has been prevalent, but poor crops have been realized.

Both white turnips and swedes do well, and grow to a large size,
particularly on new land: the roots must be either pitted or put in a
root-house, or cellar, as the winter is too severe for them to remain
unhoused.

The remainder of the fallow should be burnt off and logged up in July,
the rail-cuts split into quarters and drawn off to the site of the
fences, ready for splitting into rails. After the log-heaps are burnt,
you should either spread the ashes or rake them while hot into heaps,
if you intend to make potash,* with which, by the by, I sh