Cultivation of Arabic, Land. Turnips After-culture Hoeing. 143 



a very perfect manner, it is the general practice in the drilled crops, as they 

 have fo much room laterally, to leave them at not more than eight or nine inches 

 apart in the rows. In performing the operation, the labourers proceed fide- 

 wavs, puling the furplus plants and weeds into the hollow intervals between 

 the one-bout ridges, the plants being left perfectly regular in the rows. The 

 work is accomplilhed with much cafe and facility by women or children. 



After this, when the turnip plants become perfectly eltabliflied again in the 

 foil, which is moftly the cafe in about eight or ten days, the earth is taken from 

 the rows where the turnip plants (land, by a light plough contrived for the pur- 

 pofe, and turned upon the plants and weeds left by the hand-hoes in the inter 

 vals of the ridges. And when they have recovered themfelves from this opera 

 tion, and are become again in a vigorous condition, or when other circu en 

 hances render it neceffary, the mould, which was in the former procefs turned 

 from the turnip rows, is now divided and laid up equally to the different rows 

 by the fame implement, or a fimilar one with a double mould-board. In this 

 way, where the land is clean and free from weeds, the bufinefs is completed ; 

 but when the contrary is the cafe, additional hoeings and ploughings muft be 

 given according to the flate of the land.* 



With fome cultivators it is a practice to pafs a light harrow over the land 

 once in a place, as foon as the plants are fufficiently ftrong, in order to render 

 the firft hoeing more effectual; and even in particular cafes, where they pufh 

 forward rapidly, it is made ufe of a fecond time in the contrary direction. f In- 

 performing this bufinefs, great care is, however, necefTary, efpecially where the 

 plants are thin upon the ground ; otherwife too many of them may be dragged 

 up and deftroyed. 



It has been obferved, that, by having the feed put into the ground at different 

 periods, great advantage may be obtained in the hoeing of the crops; it having 

 been found that, by adopting fuch a practice, fix labourers are capable of ac- 

 complifhing the work twice over one hundred acres or more, while in the con 

 trary cafe a much larger number will be required. :{; 



It is obvious that the hand- method of hoeing turnip crops, which is the only 

 method that can be employed where the broadcaft plan of fowing is purfued, is 

 not only much more troublefome and expenfive, but more confined and lefs. 

 beneficial in its effects than that by means of the horfe-hoe or plough. In the 



* Com&ed Agricultural Report of the County of Northumberland. 



t Corrected Agricultural Report of the County of Suffolk. Ibid, 



