35 



attended to in the case of drilled turnips ; for owing to 

 the many furrows between die drills, when the turnips 

 are eaten off by sheep, not only the soil, but their dung 

 and urine, are carried off, which greatly augments the 

 evil. Besides, where the field is steep, the dung can be 

 znuch easier carted on diagonal ridges *. 



Another rule regarding this point is, to direct the rid- 

 ges north and south, if the ground will permit. In this 

 direction, the east and west sides of a ridge, dividing the 

 sun equally between them, will ripen at the same 

 time f. 



5. OF PLOUGHING, AND THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS 

 PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCTING THAT OPERATION. 



The plough now commonly used in Scotland, from the 

 simplicity and the excellence of its construction, is per- 

 haps the most useful instrument ever invented. It is 

 cheap, is applicable to all soils and situations, can be 

 worked by two horses or oxen without a driver, and is 

 calculated either for deep or shallow ploughing, as the 

 case may demand. It requires more skill in the 

 management than wheeled ploughs, which the farmer 

 may set to any particular depth, and which the plough- 

 man cannot vary from at pleasure ; but the dexterity 

 which the Scotch ploughmen attain by practice, cannot be 

 surpassed, and such a check is therefore unnecessary. Bad 

 ploughmen, at the same time, may certainly be met with 

 in Scotland, as well as in other countries, but not so fre- 



* Remark by Mr Charles Alexander, 

 f Gentleman Farzner ; p. 79, 



