13 Cultivation of Arable Land. H 7 hcat. Preparation of Land for. 



clover weeds and grafTy material on the furface may be cut or fkimmed off, and 

 turned into the bottom of the furrow, where they are immediately covered with 

 the loofe mould from below, to fuch a depth that little or no inconvenience can 

 be fuftained from them, while the land is thus rendered more clean, and capa 

 ble of being harrowed in a more perfect manner than where the common plough 

 only is employed. Befides, perhaps a better bed of mould is turned up in this 

 way for the feed to vegetate in, provided the furrow is not made of too great a 

 depth and breadth, and remain fome time before it be fown, which mould con- 

 flantly be attended to by the agricultor in preparing this fort of ground for 

 wheat crops. But it is the cuftom of fome places* where the land is often 

 continued for nearly two fcafons in the ftate of clover, to break them up about 

 the latter end of June, in the fecond giving them two and fometimes three 

 ploughings. Where the fituation is favourable, and the weather turns out fuit- 

 able for reducing the foil to a proper ftate of tilth, this may bean advantageous 

 practice, as by fuch means great benefit may be obtained by cutting the grafs in 

 the beginning of the feafon in which it is to be ploughed up ; but where circum- 

 frances of fo favourable a nature do not occur, fuch a method of preparation muft 

 be lefs beneficial than that of giving only one ploughing. 



A fingular experiment of Mr. Ducket s is mentioned in the Farmer s Calen 

 der in preparing clover lay for wheat &amp;lt;f he had a field in which wheat rarely ef. 

 caped being greatly ot-fallen: not to lofe fowing it with that grain, and at the 

 fame time to guard againft the experienced malady, he fcarified it repeatedly, till 

 he had torn up the clover, and alfo gained tilth enough for drilling in; then he 

 collected the clover fragments, and carted them into the farm-yard to make dun&quot;&quot; 

 and drilled the field ; the wheat having a firm bottom in an unftirred foil, efcaped 

 the difeafc, and yielded an ample produce : very fingular huibandry, Mr. Youno- 

 cbferves, and admirably adapted to the peculiarity of the foil. The clover-bulb 

 which would have fecured the dreaded loofencfs had it been turned down, made 

 a large quantity of dung, and therefore was not loft to the farm, though the parti 

 cular field was deprived of i.e. No faving in expcnfc was here made, it is added 

 but an extraordinary one incurred - f but it fecured a crop where other wife there 

 would have been none,&quot; 



J t has been juftly remarked, by an agricultor of confiderable experience, that 



* This is the pra&ice i.n the counties of Norfolk and Warwick, according to the author of Modern 

 Agriculture, 



