FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 385 



fcad become exhausted with croping, and poisoned with 

 weeds, and has always found the operation very bentfioial; 

 not only in deriving greater products, from the new layer 

 of earth thus laid uppermost, but in its being free from 

 weeds, and their seeds, which infested the old cultivated 

 stratum. In on .5 instance, he < ven raised a good crop of 

 hemp on a trench ploughed soi! 5 and wheat at the rate of 

 more than forty bushels to the acre. Some manure of lime 

 and barn-dung was, however first applied to the new soil. 



After about twelve years, he has again trench-ploughed 

 and turned up the old soil, which he found renovated, and 

 free from the weeds which before infested it. His lands 

 are of the loamy description, which is one of the best kinds 

 for this operation. 



The examples of this very intelligent Gentleman, who 

 stands at the head of the Agriculturists of that State, are 

 surely worthy of imitation. It is believed that almost all 

 the old exhausted lands of this Country would, in general, 

 be much altered for the better by trench-ploughing. 



It may be a matter of some difficulty to give accurate di- 

 rections, as to the kinds of soil where trench-ploughing may 

 be pursued to advantage. In some parts of the earth, the 

 stratum below that which has been reached by the plough 

 is at first very sterile, and difficult to be rendered fruitful 

 without the aid of much manures, and long exposure to 

 the sun and frost. If it be a light red sand, or coarse 

 gravel, neither sun nor frost will essentially help it. If it 

 be what is commonly called a hardfian^ or something simi- 

 lar, it may be found very cold, sour, and unfruitful. 



Generally speaking, however, all the better kinds of the 

 Joamy lands, whether they be a mere mellow loam, or mix- 

 ed with suitable proportions of sand, gravel, vegetable, or 

 calcareous earth, and all deep strong clays, deep ferule 

 sandy soils, or intervales, will be found more or less assist- 

 ed by trench-ploughing, when the upper layer has become 

 exhausted by severe croping; or, in some instances, even 

 when that layer has become contaminated with some of the 

 Worst kinds of weeds. 



See further, FREEZING. 



Another use of trench-ploughing is, to stir up the earth 

 deeper than can well be performed with a single furrow ; 

 as, in some particular kinds of culture, this may be found 

 very beneficial. 



It is performed by first runing a furrow, with one plough, 

 the usual depth ; then another follows, in the same furrow, 

 and throws up the fresh earth over the old, sufficier tl> deep 

 to bury that below the common depth of ploughing; then 

 the next light furrow, with the first plough, throws the old 

 earth into the bottom of the deep furrow, and this again 



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