SOIL AND [Chap. 



ing, and several ploughin.e;s, and such very fine 

 tilth all over the surface ; it may come after wheat 

 or any other white-straw crop, so that the ground 

 has but a good deep winter ploughing, and ano- 

 ther ploughing and a good breaking to pieces 

 in April, and so that it has a little manure along 

 the drills, if it be to be in rows ; or, upon the 

 crossings if it be to be in hills. 



43. If the soil be very stiff, it must be well 

 laid up to take the frosts of the latter part of the 

 winter^ particularly to be dried by the winds of 

 March, so that it may be made fine in April. I 

 should not recommend to plant it where the clay 

 is stiff, where the bottom is wet, or particularly 

 near the shade of trees ; for, though it will do 

 pretty well in a widely planted orchard in Ame- 

 rica, where the sun sends his rays through an 

 apple-tree with such force, it will not endure 

 shade in our country ; and even in the shade of 

 America, it seldom comes to much when near to 

 the north side of a wood. 



44. Any land, I say any land, with'out excep- 

 tion, that wall bear oats ; not wheat or barley, 

 but oats, or even buck-wheat, may be made to 

 bear a tolerable crop of Indian Corn. On 

 gravel, on chalk, however, near the surface, corn 

 will do very well, if aided by a little manure, and 

 especially by good summer tillage, for which the 

 distances at which it is planted furnish most amply 



