Cultivation of Arabic Land. Wheat. Methods of After-Cut! ure. I 



furfacc mould is loofened and the air admitted, being performed to the depth of two 

 inches with fafety, and without mould being raifed, fo as to cover or bury het 

 plants, the earth being only loofened and not difplaced. The beneficial effects 

 mentioned above are of courfe very fully produced. By thefe contrivances 

 much work can be accompli (lied in a very fhort time, which is a circumftance of 

 much confequence at this bufy feafon. 



Where this method of practice is not adopted, the drilled and dibbled crops, 

 cfpecially in the latter, where only one row is planted on a flag, muft be hand- 

 hoed in the intervals, which mould be done the firft time in the beginning of the* 

 above month, and a fecond time towards the end of it or a little later. Some 

 likewife do it to the broadcaft wheats, but this has been fuppofed injurious by 

 many. The bufinefs of thiftling the wheat crops Ihould alfo be carefully per- 

 formed in May, or the very early part of the following month. 



Rolling the land, either without having recourfe to the harrow or after it has 

 been employed, efpecially where the furface is cloddy, and the operation is per 

 formed when the ground poflefles a medium degree of moifture, may be of utility 

 in the fame way, as well as by forcing the roots of the wheat into the earth, and 

 by that means caufing new flems to rife*. On all the light thin foils, when this 

 fort of grain is cultivated upon them, much benefit may alfo be produced by the 

 ufe of the roller, by the roots of the plants being thereby prevented from being 

 fo eafily loofened and thrown out of the ground. And the fame practice is re 

 commended as generally ufeful where clover or grafs feeds are fown with wheat 

 crops, as a means of rendering vegetation more fccure \. 



The former operation may likewife be practifed with advantage, in the way of 

 preventing the deftructive ravages of the worm +. 



In cafes where the land is not in a fufficient flate of fertility or preparation to 

 bring the crops to perfection, it may be neceflary to make ufe of top-d re flings. 

 Subftances of both the folid and fluid kinds have been made ufe of for this 

 purpofe ; the firft conlift chiefly of the dung of different forts of birds after 

 being brought into a powdery ftate, bone-duit, foot, peat-afhes, and various 

 faline matters. The latter are principally the drainings of dung-hills and 

 other fimilar liquid materials. The former mould be thinly fown over the crops, 

 with as much evennefs as poflible, as early in the fpring as horfes can be ad 

 mitted upon the land without injury; and if it can be done when the weather 

 is inclined to be moift, it is the better. A roller may then be paifed over the 



* Darwin s Pbytologia, p. 292. t Corroded Report of Midcllefex,. 



\ Syncgfis of Huibarulry, p. 63. 



