gi Stir-vcy of the County ofKilhnity* Feb, 



< Fallows are always treated in the fame manner ; a ftubble is 

 ufually grazed during the winter, and often not ploug-hed up be- 

 fore May, or as foon as all the bufinefs of the fpring-tillage is over; 

 in this firfl ploughing, the crowns of the ridges are turned into 

 the former farrows or interfurrows ; thus they lie until midfum- 

 luer, and often much longer, when they are ploughed for the fe- 

 cond time, and this plouging is generally preceded by a harrowing 

 with a heavy or loaded harrow ; another harrowing is given pre- 

 vious to the third or feed- ploughing, which takes place about 

 Michaelmas : the mode of fowing is by dropping the feed along 

 the ridge, and is often done by women, which is tedious, in com- 

 parii'on with the proper manner of calling it. 



' It generally happens that the ridges of the feccnd crops are re- 

 verfed, the furrow occupying the place of the crown of the ridge ; 

 but this is not an object with the farmers from fyftem ; no more 

 than is the direftion in which the ridges lie, nor even an attention 

 to make them llraight and parallel : if they ran from north to fouth 

 the corn would probably ripen better together, from receiving a 



more eaiial dillribution of the ravs of the fun. 



J. J 



* Some flubbles near Gowran do not get their firft ploughing until 

 June, and that is often a very partial one, merely opening the tops 

 of the ridges, and turning them down towards the furrows, the 

 greater part of the ground remaining unftirrcd ; in this flate they lie 

 for three or four weeks, until it may fait the farmer's convenience 

 to go over them again ; after which it is well if they receive a crofs- 

 ploughing before autumn, or previous to feed-time ; the two iiril 

 ploughings are fometimes reckoned fufficient : this can hardly be 

 called fallowing ; the fummer-weeds are left growing very partially 

 covered in the furrows, where thev often Ihed their feeds before 

 the fecond ploughing. Some flubbles in the neighbourhood of 

 Kilkenny had not got their fecond ploughing until the end of Au- 

 gufh, previous to which moil of the weeds whofe feeds were 

 brought near the furface by the firfl ploughing, had vegetated and 

 gone to feed. 



* The beft farmers graze their flubbles only until Chriflmas, and 

 give them a firfl ploughing before the end of January, they crofs 

 plough in fpring, and never fow wheat but after three earths. 



* When ley-ground is intended for wheat, the practice of the 

 befl farmers is to break up the fod about Michaelmas, or as foon 

 after as they can ; at which time it is thrown into broad fets of 

 ^bout twenty yards wide ; in April it is crofs-plouglied and har- 

 lowed, whenever the ground is dry ; and, after midfummer, it 

 receives the third ploughing, but when manure is to be put out, 

 either lime or fea-fand, it is fpread on the furface previous to this 

 ploughing, and thus mixed with the foil before feed-time : the 



corn 



