Cultivation of Arable Land.~~Farms Hiring and Stocking of, 401 



drained, is in general an unkindly foil, without plenty of manure. It is known 

 in winter by being very adhefive upon walking over it: is long in drying, even 

 when little or no water is feen upon it; for which reafon it is generally late in the 

 fpring before it can be ploughed. When quite dry it breaks up neither fo hard and 

 cloddy as mere clay, nor near fo crumbly and mellow as the good loam. If it is 

 in ftubble, it is apt to be covered with a minute green mofs. There are many 

 varieties of the foil, but all agree in moft of thefe circumftanccs ; and in being what 

 the farmers call poor, cold, hungry land. When hollow-ditched, and greatly ma 

 nured, it yields any thing ; but thofe who hire it mould forget neither of thefe 

 expenfes.&quot; 



It is added, that &quot; the gravelly foils are numerous in their kind, and very different 

 in their natures. Warm, dry, found gravelly loams are eafily diflinguifhed in 

 winter. They admit ploughing all winter through, except in very wet times ; 

 always breakup in a crumbly flate of running mould; and, if a ftubble, will dig 

 on trial by the fpade, in the fame manner. If under turnips, you may perceive, by 

 walking through them, that it will bear their being fed off. The wet, cold, fpring) 

 gravel is a very bad foil ; it is known in winter by^the wetncfs of it j and in fpring, 

 by its binding with hafty mowers. It rarely breaks up in a crumbly (late, or mows 

 a mellownefs under the fpade. Very expcnfive drains greatly correct its ill qua 

 lities, but it requires a prodigious quantity of manure to fertilife it. Some gravels 

 are fo fharp and burning, that they produce nothing except in wet fummers; but 

 fuch are known at any feafon of the year. Sands are as various as gravels, and are 

 all eafily difcoverable in their natures. The rich red fand is, he believes, as profit* 

 able a foil as any in the world. It has at all feafons a dry foundnefs, and at the fame 

 time a moifture without wetnefs, which fecures crops even in dry fummers. Thc&amp;gt; 

 fpade is fufficient to try it at any feafon of the year. The light fandy loam, is like-* 

 wife an admirable foil: it will bear ploughing, like the preceding, all winter long, 

 and appears quite found and mellow when tried with the fpade. If it lies under a 

 winter fallow, the beft way to judge of its richnefs is to remark the flate of the 

 furrows, and the degree of adhefion in the foil. Stiff land being dry and crumbly 

 is a great perfection, and fand being adhefive is an equally good fign. When, 

 therefore, the farmer views a light fandy loam, whofe found drynefs is acknow 

 ledged, he may prefume the foil is rich, in proportion to its adhefion. If it falls 

 flat in powder, and has no adhefion, it is a mere fand. The white chalky marm 

 is often cold and wet, will not bear ploughing in winter unlefs the weather is very 

 dry or frofty, runs excefiively to mortar with a heavy fliower when in a pulverifed 

 VOL, ii. 3 F 



