First Improvers. 29 



if he hath no mind to take the trouble to preserve 

 them, let him fix a sharp-toothed hook in the end of 

 a small pole or hazel rod, and strike them down there- 

 with, which is more expeditious, though less profit- 

 able." But there was a possibility that all these rules 

 rules which, their authors quietly insinuate, reason 

 and experience alike recommend might fail of the 

 desired end ; and such contingency was not left out 

 of view. For, it is added, " If a field be so backward 

 that it does not answer by following the foregoing 

 rules, it will be fit to lay it down in grass until it con- 

 tract a body, which will take five years to ly." 



It were scarcely profitable to follow the essayists 

 through the detailed rules for tillage applicable to in- 

 field and out-field, and the method of toth-folding, and 

 so on. For the bear crop we note that " Ebb tilling 

 is recommended to retain the dung as near the seed 

 as possible, and the remainder of the mold is to ly in 

 the meantime to contract a body." For the first crop 

 after bear, " Let it be ploughed with competent sap 

 both deep and tight" the " two good reasons" for the 

 deep furrow being " to bury the grass roots," and 

 " that the rested mold which lay idle underneath last 

 year may appear to act its part." Indeed, the Society, 

 in the case of out-field, at least, seem to have had some 

 vague kind of notion that each succeeding furrow 

 should go a little deeper than the one given the pre- 

 vious year, till, as they say, " the pan" were reached. 

 The " fauch" is justly declared to be " in all respects 

 inferior to dung, seeing it adds no benefit to the soil 

 for the future, but only extorts, as it were,- by vio- 

 lence whatever productive qualities Providence has 

 bestowed upon it." And then they lay down one or 

 two general principles which we may carry along with 

 us ; thus : " If we look into the common way of 

 managing husbandry, especially in those parts where 

 nature has been less liberal of her favours, we will 

 have just reason to reprove the inadvertancy of some 



