39 



in wet seasons. The extreme of either is not so prejudici- 

 al as if the crop had been ploughed with a shallow furrow: 

 6. Many farmers recommend, when fallowing land, to 

 go as deep as possible the first furrow, by which the sub- 

 sequent furrows will be more easily done, and to expose 

 the soil to the winter's frost and to the summer's heat ; 

 but when land is ploughed in spring for beans or oats, a 

 strong soil cannot be ploughed with safety, above five 

 or six inches, and when lime or dung has been mixed 

 with the soil, a shallow furrow, not exceeding four or 

 five inches in depth, is advisable. 7. Deep ploughing is 

 not to be recommended ; z . When rich leys are broken 

 up for cropping ; 2, When grass only two or three 

 years old is broken up, more especially where it has 

 been pastured with sheep ; for all the richness of the 

 land should be preserved at the top : 3. When lime or 

 other manures have been recently applied, and lime in 

 particular, as it has a tendency to sink of its own ac- 

 cord : 4. Where turnips have been eaten off by sheep on 

 the land where they grew. In all these cases, from four 

 to five inches deep, will be found sufficient; and, 5. If 

 land is infested with grass, which generally runs much 

 on the surface, the first ploughing should not be deep. 

 8. In the following cases, dee^ ploughing is advisable. 

 I. Where the first furrow is given to land intended to 

 be fallowed in the end of autumn or beginning of winter, 

 and where grass or root-weeds do not abound, the soil is 

 thus pulverized and sweetened by the frost ; and, 2. In 

 moorish or cold soils, as it affords a greater scope for the 

 roots of plants to procure nourishment, admits the super- 

 abundant moisture to subside from their roots, and pre- 

 vents the summer drought making an injurious impres- 

 sion on the growing crops : For it may be remarked, 

 that on such land, shallow ploughing exposes vegetation 



