-42S On the ^lantUy of Seed required fw a S£ois Acre. Nor» 



acre would be ; and, in many cafes, I have not the fmalleft doubt 

 fuch favings might be made with the greateft propriety. But, in 

 order to attain this end, let all attempts to aftonifh the world by 

 great feats in Towing be for ever debarred, and let the attention 

 of the farmer be dire£led to dilTeminate the grain with the great- 

 eft pofTible exat^nefs ; and, for this purpofe, let him not difdain 

 to fet an example (if capable) to his fervants himfelf •, and thus, by 

 going along with them in this pleafant part of his operations, and 

 frequently calling his eye over their performances, he will not 

 fail, in fome degree, to prevent that llovenly method of fowing 

 which fome people have, the efFe61:s of which has often met my 

 eye, when I have had occafion to view their fields after feed-time. 

 I have deferred mentioning peas and beans to the lail, as they are 

 feldom fown to advantage in the broadcaft way, and fhould there- 

 fore, always when practicable, be fown in drills, and horfe and 

 hand-hoed between the rows. Some inftances may occur, of 

 good crops of both peas and beans, and even the land left in 

 good order after them, in the broadcaft way ; but I believe I may 

 venture to fay, that three times out of four they leave the land in 

 bad order for a following crop, which is certainly a good reafon 

 fo^ preferring the drilled hufbandry with refpecft to them. As to 

 the quantity proper to be fown on an acre, the general practice 

 is, in my opinion, to fow them too thick in the row j no lefs than 

 fix firiots being by moft farmers thought necefTary. As far a5 my 

 experience goes, I would prefer a fmaller quantity, and would 

 not be afraid of my crop turning out deficient for want of feed, 

 if at leaft a firlot was kept back from every acre. I cannot fav, 

 that I have ever made any experiment of the produce from differ- 

 ent rates of fowing; but, fo far as I am capable of judging, from 

 infpedlion of the growing crops at the different rates above men- 

 tioned, I do not think I am deciding rafhly, when I give the pre- 

 ference to the rates I have recommended. I have fometimes 

 thought that a machine might be devifed for fowing corn more 

 equally, than it is perhaps poffible, efpecially in windy weather, 

 to do by the hand ; and, at the fame time, to depofit it at a due 

 depth in the ground, quite out of the reach of pigeons, birds, 

 &c. ; but as I have no mechanical turn, I only fuggelt the hint. 



Perhaps, not a fmall number of your readers may think the 

 rates of fowing recommended in this letter are rather below the 

 golden medium. To fuch I can only fay, that what I have writ- 

 ten is the refult of my own experience ; and, however defec- 

 tive it may appear in point of valuable information, 1 flatter 

 myfelf you will not think it inconfiitent with the nature of your 

 widely diffufed Publicatioji. Wifliing you and your readers all 

 good things, I ara, &c. Aratuk, junior. 



