MODE OF [Chap, 



clently plain. And^ I recommend, that, in all 

 cases, v/here it can be done, the manuring, when 

 that is necessary, should take place before the 

 last ploughing of the ground preceding the time 

 of planting. 



56. If you determine on hills, you ought to 

 place them four feet apart; and then, if you 

 mark the ground truly, you may plough longivays 

 the field at one time and crossways at another 

 time, as Mr.TuLL saw them do in the vineyards of 

 France, which gave rise to his famous book on the 

 horse-hoeing husbandry, and which book was the 

 foundation of all the improvements in agriculture 

 in this country. This cross-ploughing, or horse- 

 hoeing, is very good ', it hills up the plants pretty 

 completely without any hand-work, or with very 

 little ; and it leaves scarcely any thing to be done 

 with the hoe. 1 shall hereafter speak of the re- 

 lative quantity of plants and of seed, and also of 

 the act of planting. 



57. But, in the case of the Divarf-Corn, or 

 CoBBETT-CoRN, I prefer roivs. My distances, 

 this year, have been, plants eight inches apart in 

 the row, and the vowsthreefeet apart, which gives 

 to each plant precisely two square feet of ground. 

 But, 1 am convinced, that these are not the 

 proper distances. Three feet do not give room for 

 good, true, and tolerably deep ^j'/oz/^/tr/?^; and that 

 is the main thing in the cultivation of corn, 



