[ 257 J 



fame, or, in other words, moving in an oblique clire<£tion 

 to the furface, turns over not a fquare or parallel, but a 

 triangular furrow. In which cafe it is felf-evident, that 

 fuch lands are only half-ploughed ; there being fo many 

 I ridges of faft undifturbed foil, as there are furrows, form- 

 ing fo many troughs or trenches; that of all the fuper- 

 fluous water that fhall fall upon fuch lands, fo much only 

 as fhall remain over and above filling the trenches will be 

 able to find its way into the water-furrows ; for fo ne clay 

 foils, indeed all foils when puddled, will hold water like a 

 di{h; confequently fo much water as the above trenches 

 fhall contain, will remain there till it is evaporated by fun 

 and air, ftarving the plants, and puddling the foil to fuch a 

 degree, that the nutritive quality in the food of plants may 

 become fo far impaired as not to be reftored ; or if it 

 fhould, the tender fibres of the roots of plants may be fo 

 putrified by flagnated water as to be incapable ever after of 

 anfwering their intended purpofe in promoting vegetation. 



As to the bad efFe£ts of ftrong clay foils caking in dry 

 weather, nothing more eafy to prevent ; for there is a pe- 

 riod between the time of clay foils running together, fo as 

 to puddle by fuperfluous wet, and the time of their caking 

 by drought, that they are as tradtable as need be. Now 

 this is the time, this is the juncture for hoeing; and fo 

 much land as fhall be thus feafonably hoed, will not cake 

 or cruft upon the furface, as it otherwife would have done, 

 till it has been foaked or drenched again with rain ; in 

 which cafe the hoeing is to be repeated, as foon as the foil 

 will quit the inftrument, and as often as neceiFary; by 

 which time, the growing crop will begin to cover the 



Vol. III. S ground, 



