206 Cultivation of Arable Land. Par pups Preparation o-f Land for Seed. 



juft defcribed anfwers very well in performing the fir ft p:irt of the operation ; 

 but in the lecond, one ofthelrencb kind mull be made ufe of, by which the mould 

 is railed from the bottom of the furrow made by the firft, ant! applied over the 

 ilice it had turned up. In this way the foil is not only broken up to a great depth, 

 but the furface left in a fine ftate of mould. Where this fort of tillage is practifed, 

 the work is generally performed in the more dry forts of land about the middle of 

 February; and in thofe that are retentive of moilhire, towards the latter end of 

 March. The ground, after being thus expofed to the influence of the atmofphere 

 for a week or a fortnight, is harrowed lightly over in order to render it fit for the 

 feed. In fome cafes, however, a flight ploughing is given to the lands intended 

 for this crop in September, the ufe of the other ploughs being had recourfe 

 to in January in the fucceeding year. The principal object in this buli- 

 ncfs is that of loofening and rendering the foil mellow to as great a depth as pof- 

 fible. 



The ufe of manure is not in general fo ncceffary for this crop as many others ; 

 but where the land is not in tolerably good heart, it fhould conftantly be employed 

 in fuch proportions as may be thought fufficient. The well-rotted farm yard 

 dung is in common the belt adapted to this crop, being turned into the foil by a 

 light ploughing immediately before the time of putting in the feed. 



Seed. Seed for this crop mould be collected from the bed and mofl perfect 

 plants, by tranfplanting,* in the manner that has been already directed for other 

 forts of feed-crops ; and mould always be made ufe of while perfectly frefh, old 

 feed frequently cither wholly failing or coming up with great irregularity. 



The proportion of feed that may be employed muft be different, according to 

 the nature of the foil, and other circumrtances ; but in general about four-twelfths 

 of a bufhel to the acre may be fufHcient.f Mr. Young advifes five pounds of feed 

 to the fame proportion of land. 



Time and Mctbod of Sowing. The mod ufual period of putting this kind of crop 

 into the ground is in the early part of the fpring, as foon as the frofts will admit of 

 it ; as about the beginning or middle of February. It is, however, fometimes 

 fovvn in the autumn of the preceding year, immediately after it has been ripened 

 and collected from the plants, as about the beginning of September. It is contend 

 ed that in this way the plants will appear more early in the following fpring; and 

 of courfe become large and ftrong before any weeds rife to injure them: and that as 

 the plants are in little or no danger from the feverity of the winter feafon, this is, oa 



* Communications to the Board of Agriculture, vol. I. f Ibid. 



