1 Si Upon Drilling and Horse-hocing. 



ing in the same track, as deep as the land was ploughed ; 

 then roll with a heavy roller, which will give the whole 

 land a concussion, and pulverize it six inches below the 

 surface, allowing the tender roots room to expand in a fine 

 bed of vegetable food. In short, care must be taken not to 

 throw any earth up to the plants in this early stage; for, as 

 nature always forms the coronal roots at the most advan- 

 tageous depth below the surface of the soil, by throwing 

 earth to the plants you impede. her operations, and she 

 will, by a sort of vegetable instinct, be obliged to form 

 fresh coronal roots. 1 have known the progress of vegeta- 

 tion much retarded for want of this precaution ; and nature 

 has laboured so steadily to rectify the errors of nian, that 

 sometimes three sets of coronal roots have been formed, 

 those beneath dying as the joint at the proper distance below 

 the surface sends out new ones. When these operations are 



f)erformed with judgment, the advantages are beyond calcu- 

 ation. The scarifiers and roller moving all the soil, without 

 earthing up, give the roots room to expand, and assist the 

 operations of nature : the tillering will be greatly increased *, 

 and all the offsets ripen at the same time; and by earth- 

 ing up the plants when the cars are risen six or seven inches 

 aoove the surface, a plump and fine sample will be secured, 

 and no more offsets can be formed. Rolling will be inju- 

 rious when the ears are risen above the surface. These pre- 

 cautions arc only necessary with wheat, and the white corn 

 crops with coronal roots: with pease, beans, vetches, and 

 all tap-rooted plants, no injury can be sustained for want 

 of such attention. Never attempt to perform any of these 

 operations until the land be dry ; and be sure to keep a fine 

 tilth on the surface of vour lands four or five inches deep 

 in the spring, whilst the plants are in a young and growing 

 stale. Were this new svstem universally adopted, the sav- 

 ing in seed corn would be of the utmost national conse- 

 quence ; certainly not less than eight million bushels of 

 rj'e, three million bushels of barley, four million of oats, 

 and one million of pease and beans. This statement does 

 not amount to the full quantity which mit!;ht be saved. This 

 last autumn more than a sixth part of the scanty crop of 

 wheat was thrown into the ground for seed. Such are the 

 times, that the noblemen and gentlemen of landed property 

 must considerably increase tl.eir rents, or they cannot hold 

 their situations in the scale of society. To answer this dc- 



• I have counted one hundred nnd one stems of b.ulev, all likely to 

 arrive at perfection, from one seed. 



mand, 



