26 Notes and Sketches. 



say, was divided, in the common course of husbandry, 

 into "bear land, bear root, and awal bear root." 

 They first give rules for the ploughing of the bear 

 land ; a "break" followed by a " clean furrow ;" the 

 latter, which covered in the dung, being given as late as 

 possible at the end of April or beginning of May 

 in order to prevent that growth which " infallibly 

 disheartens the field for corn, when it gets footing by 

 ploughing bear land early." The "growth" here 

 spoken of, in other words,' the weeds in the land, 

 formed evidently a serious matter of consideration. 

 And thus, while the farmer is advised to sow immedi- 

 ately after the last furrow, he is also advised to let 

 the newly-sown field lie at first half harrowed, and then 

 cross-harrow it when the seed has begun to take root ; 

 for, say the essayists, when the weeds " yarrs, 

 skellachs, gules, and others" begin to spring, "it 

 will be fit to crush them with the harrow." "After 

 the brier blade falls, the corn makes no progress till 

 the stock be formed ; the weeds taking advantage of 

 this delay, advance with incredible celerity, and 

 unless they be crushed at this juncture they soon 

 overtop the brier, and maintain their victory till they 

 render the corn both thin and feeble ; but a judicious 

 management of the harrow will set back the weeds 

 and give the brier, which in that season naturally 

 grows up very quickly, the advantage over them, and 

 having again recovered the former loss, it will preserve 

 its distance to the end." 



Harrowing down weeds among the briard, then, is 

 strongly recommended ; and " because they cannot 

 be suppressed at once, they ought to be torn up as oft 

 as they appear until the brier begin to recover after 

 stocking." No method yet tried had proved so 

 effectual with the weeds as this of tearing them up 

 with iron-tined harrows ; " and," say the essayists, 

 " if any one apprehends loss by the harrowing his 

 brier, we do assure him that that scruple is contrary 



