31^ On the Agriculture of the Netherlands. Aug J 



of earth over the roots. The colefeed Is reaped about Mi'dfum* 

 mer, or later, according as the feafon is more or lefs advanced : 

 k is left on the field for ten or twelve days after it is cut, and 

 then thraihed on a kind of fail-cloth, fpread on the pound for 

 that purpofe, and the feed carried in facks to the farm. When 

 the crop is good, a bunder produces about forty razicrs, of 80 lib. 

 weight each. It is to be obferved, that the ground whereon 

 colefeed is to be planted, mud be dunged, and twice ploughed^ 

 the fame year it is put in ufe. 



Flax. — The land for fowing flax, muft be carefully cleaned 

 from bad weeds, and well dunged. Some farmers, for the fake 

 of getting better crops of flax, fov/ it on clover ground, which 

 they dung towaids the end of Seprem^ber, and plough after- 

 wards. One hundred and eighty pounds of feed are fown on a 

 bunder as foon as fpring comes on. When the flax is about four 

 inches high it is carefully weeded, without which precaution the 

 weeds would ftifle the plants \ and this is repeated as often as 

 the weeds get head anew. When the crop is good, a bunder 

 yields about 400 lib. weight of flax. The flax of this part of 

 the country, is mu-ch inferior in quality to that produced about 

 Courtray and Menin. 



In thefe parts of the Low Countries, the farms are ufually 

 much greater than in Flanders, and in the middle region of Bra- 

 bant, where the land is richer. In Hainault, all farms of above 

 feventy bunders have been divided ; but this has not extended to 

 Walloon Brabant, where there are ftill many great farms. 



A farm of feventy bunders * is ufually diilributed as follows : 

 ten bunders of meadow, ten of wheat, twelve of rye, three of 

 winter-barley, one of fpring-barley, eight of oats, four of horfe- 

 beans, peas, and vetches, and eight of clover ; which together 

 make fifty-fix bunders in cultivation, the other fourteen lying 

 fallow, in all feventy bunders. For cultivating fuch a farm, 

 eight horfes are neceflary ; and it is flocked with fixteen cows, 

 twelve oxen, and a flock of two hundred fheep ; bcfides hogs 

 and fowls in proportion, 



^he Middle Region of Brabant. 



The land is here a mixture of fand and loam, which make an 

 excellent light foil, but not fo rich as that of Flanders, though 

 preferable perhaps for corn. The ufual productions of this part 

 of the country are wheat, rye, oats, barley^ beans, peas, vetches, 

 clover, turnips, carrots, and potatoes. No ground here lies fal- 

 low ; the farms are feldom cxtenfive : forty bunders may be 



takeiv 



* About 210 EngUfli acres. 



