H4 STATISTICAL SURVEY 



It is accounted difgracefnl to fee heads of grain feat* 

 tered about after cutting ; and long ftubble left on the 

 ground to be ploughed in, is thought to be of no fer- 

 vice ; cutting all the Araw with the grain, and carrying 

 It home, makes more manure ; befides it is very diffi- 

 cult, in turning a furrow, to cover a long and coarfe 

 Hubble, fo as to bury it completely. 



On the proper depth, at which gram Jhould be faun. 

 There are many opinions on this fubject ; but it ap- 

 pears to me that, howfoever depth of covering may 

 contribute to the protection of the feed, in a more 

 advanced flate it has little to do with the goodnefs of 

 the crop. In an early period the following advantages 

 attend it: ift. It prevents the feed from becoming a 

 prey to birds, becaufe the farma is exhaufted before it 

 gets above the furface, and, confequently, it ceafes to 

 be an object to them, which they very foon find out. 

 7dly. It prevents wheat from being thrown out of the 

 ground by froft. sdly. AH grain grows more regu- 

 larly from equal covering, which implies equal moif- 

 ture. But as to depth of covering contributing in any 

 other way to the goodnefs of a crop, I cannot think 

 there is any foundation. My reafons for thi opinion 

 are founded oil the nature of roots, and are as follow : 

 every fpecies of grain has a double root 5 the firfl, or 

 feminal root, puihed out immediately on the germina- 

 tion or budding of the grain ; this bud is nourifhed by 



the 



