282 On the proper Mode of Ridgtug a Wet Clay Soil. Jiily 



folid under-ftratum, towards the centre of the ridge, muil be 

 extremely unfavourable for allowing the fuperfiuous water to 

 drain off from the pulverized foil into the water-furrows j and, 

 confequently, I always found the crops growing upon them 

 materially injured in wet feafons, and fometimes nearly de- 

 ftroyed. But a lofs alfo attends this mode of ridging a clay 

 foilj even in dry feafons, wlien a deficiency of the crop, on the 

 middle of the ridge, is to be obferved, where it ought to have 

 been beft. Tliis is eafily to be accounted for. Every practi- 

 cal farmer knows, that, when a clay foil is ploughed, efpecially 

 in a drought, it is laid fo open, by its crumbling into large 

 maffcs, that the fun and air in a few hours carry off its moif- 

 ture, and render it unfavourable for vegetation. When we 

 add to this, that the fides of the open furror/s, and con- 

 tiguous foil, over v.'hich the Vv''inter rains and melted fnows 

 have paffed, from being confolidated with fo much moif- 

 ture, become extremely hard in time of drought, this hard- 

 ened foil on the fides of the open furrow, being turned up 

 by the plough in clods of different fizes, when laid together 

 in forming the crown of the new ridge, cannot be fo well 

 pulverized as the reft of the ridge ; and, confequently, the 

 drought continues to take a greater effect in depriving it of 

 m,Giilure. To thefe caufes I attributed the deficiency of the 

 crop on the crown of the ridge in dry feafons. But, of late 

 years, our crops have fuffered from too much moifture ; and 

 the wet clays,, that have been ploughed crown and furrow, in 

 alternate ridges, have fuffcred accordingly. PaiTmg, the other 

 day, through fome fields in the neighbourhood of Edin^ 

 burgh, where that practice prevails on fuch foils, I was 

 fiiocked to fee their wretched appearance ; fields of beans, 

 and other grains, with the couch grafs fpringing up in them, 

 thicker, and with greater luxuriance, than the oats or bar-- 

 ley j fome of the farmers in that neighbourhood feeming to 

 defpife good culture, in trufting to the ample dofes of dung 

 they procure from the city of Edinburgh. Being thus con- 

 vinced, both from reafon and experience, that neither a very 

 broad ridge, although vi'ell rounded, nor a flat narrow, one, 

 are proper forms to be ufed in ploughing v/et clays ; for 

 fome years paft, I have adopted upon my farm well rounded 

 ridges, of the breadth of twelve feet, gathering them up 

 twice from the level for Summer fallow wheat, generally har- 

 rowing the field acrofs the ridges before the feed furrow, to 

 keep them the flatter. After the wheat is off, the ridges are 

 gathered before IVinter : in the Spring, beans are put in, after 



calling 





