GENERAL RULES FOR PLOUGHING. 429 



performed by manual labor, by which means a remunerating 

 crop will be produced, and the land always kept firm, which is 

 the only difficulty to be overcome on this description of soil. 

 The farm, when first taken by me, was wet ; as much out of con 

 dition, and as light and weak, as it well could be parts of it 

 being merely held together by the roots of grass and weeds, 

 natural to moory land, but which must be very prejudicial to the 

 production of those crops that are to benefit the farmer. I com 

 menced by draining, and then pursued the foregoing system of 

 cultivation, by which my most sanguine expectations have been 

 realized, though I was told that the land would be too light and 

 too poor to plant wheat after turnips. I have never found any 

 ill effects from paring and burning, experience having taught me 

 that it produces a manure particularly beneficial to the growth 

 of turnips; thereby enabling me to firm the land by sheep.&quot;* 

 This farmer speaks of performing a great portion of his work 

 with manual labor. I think some part of it might rather be 

 called pedestrian than manual ; for, if he ploughs his land by 

 men. he treads it out by women. He says, &quot; Before the horse- 

 roll can be used, I send women to tread it, and, if occasion re 

 quire, tread it again ; after which, I have it twice hoed. I have 

 found more benefit from this mode of pressing than any other, 

 being done at a time when wheat, on this description of soil, re 

 quires assistance.&quot; f 



I have found other farmers, who, with their wheat crops on 

 light, chalky soils, ploughed in a very shallow manner, and then 

 were accustomed to tread their land with sheep, in order to give 

 the wheat plant a firmer footing ; as, otherwise, in a very light 

 soil, it might be thrown out by the wind. These cases, how- 



* Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. vi. p. 1. 



f This is a use to which women have not as yet been put in our &quot; half-civil 

 ized &quot; country. I dare say, however, many persons think that it is very well to 

 make such clever animals serviceable ; their &quot; keep,&quot; agriculturally speaking, is 

 somewhat expensive ; and, as they have their share in the pleasure of consuming, 

 they may as well take their part in the labor of producing. Whatever any persons 

 may think, however, I will say no such uncivil thing ; but, since the celebrated 

 danseuse, Fanny Ellsler, returned from the United States, after a two years tour, 

 with a gain of twenty thousand pounds, or one hundred thousand dollars, it cannot 

 be denied that the Americans are quite willing to pay for the use of women s 

 feet in a way, we admit, more elegant, tasteful, and classical, but certainly not 

 more respectable, and not half as useful, as that of treading the wheat-ground. 



