56 AOAfCtJLTURAL ESSAtS. 



of one, to loosen the soil to a proper depth for g^dod cultivation. 



The celebrated Q,uell was of opinion, that land can never be 

 made too fine by tillage ; and that the finer it is made the rich* 

 er it will become. He observed that the fine parts of the earth 

 are impregnated with some of the riches carried in by the dews : 

 but the larger rough parts cannot have that benefit ; the dews 

 not penetrating to their centres, they remain poorer. 



There can be no doubt but that a perfect pulverization of th^ 

 soil places it in a better condition to let in the atmospheric air 

 amongst the minute particles, and for permitting the rain and 

 dew to spread equally, and for giving to the roots the faculty 

 of entering into all the cavities* 



fvOTATlON OF CroPS AS A SuBSTITtTTE FOR SlfMlVfEH 



Fallow. 



In treating of fallows, there appears to be some difficulty in 

 comprehendmg the real views of diflferent writers, probably on 

 account of the diflferent import with which the term fallow has 

 been understood in different countries, •nd at different periods 

 of agricultural history ; even the expositors of the Americart 

 language are not very explicit in their difmitions Cf the term. 

 It is believed, however, that the farmers of New-Ertgland have 

 generally applied the term fallow to the ploughing of land 

 which has lain at rest in grass, or which has rested after a pre- 

 vious crop the preceding year without being stocked with grass- 

 iseed or ploughed. And when it is ploughed early, or in any of the 

 suittraer months, for the purpose of ploughing it again,and thereby 

 preparing it for an autumual seeding with wheat or other winter 

 crop, it is termed fallowing, or fallow ploughing. With these 

 views, which the farmers of our country have had of fallowiiiyg;, 

 of land, and of fallow land, it will be easy to understand what ia 

 intended by substituting the rotation of crops, for the summer 

 fallow, as an improvement in the system of agricultuie. 



'^The substance of the arguments generally used against 

 fallow, may be comprised under four keads : 



1st. Nature d«es not require any pause, or rest ; and the 

 earth was evidently designed to yield a regular uninterrupted 

 produce. 



