PREPARATION OF LAND. 23 



to the crop of grass that follows. The soil should be thoroughly 

 cultivated and stirred with the harrow or cultivator, or some- 

 thing of that kind, until it is made perfectly fine, without 

 bringing up the old sod. It is the same with the soil, I suppose,*" 

 that it is with all sorts of drugs. We are told by the apothecary 

 that the more we rub this or that down, the more strength we 

 get out of it for medicine. I take it, it is just so with the soil. 

 The more we mix it and work it, the greater will be the strength 

 of the soil, and the greater will be the crop that we take from 

 it. Therefore, it is important that we should follow up the 

 plough with the cultivator or the harrow, in order that the soil 

 may be thoroughly pulverized. The manure also must be made 

 very fine, and allowed to decompose before applying it, so that 

 the little roots may take hold of it readily when the grass springs 

 up, and not be obliged to wait until that manure becomes 

 decomposed in the soil ; if they are, the plant will be weak, 

 and the crop light. 



There seems to be a proper time for ploughing, although we 

 have got to do it as the man cut his hoop holes, — when he had 

 an opportunity. Still, I should advise ploughing, as far as pos- 

 sible, when the dew is on the ground. I am aware that it will 

 not do for the farmer to wait to plough all his ground when the 

 dew is on ; still I would advise him to plough as early in the 

 morning as possible ; and if there are any young farmers here, 

 I say to them, depend upon it, if you plough early in the morn- 

 ing, you will gain in the crop, you will gain in every way 

 during the day. I have noticed in my garden, that that portion 

 which has been hoed or cultivated with the dew upon the 

 ground, produces better crops than that portion which was hoed 

 in the heat of the day ; and I have no doubt it is so in the 

 fields. In fact, if you plough a strip of land with the dew on, 

 and another later in the day, and wait a week or ten days, and 

 then replough, you will find a difference in the soil as you turn 

 it over. . 



Clay soil should be ploughed when it is quite dry, so that it 

 may be easily worked. If clay soil is ploughed too early in the 

 spring, when it is wet, it will bake and become hard, and it is 

 difficult to work it up into such a state that the roots of grass 

 or grain can take hold of it. It must be worked, I repeat, 

 when it is dry ; if not, it will be full of little lumps, which will 



