45 



country, seldom send their shoots above seven or eight 

 inches down into the soil, and the culmiferous species 

 not so far, it is probable, from these circumstances, that 

 from seven to nine inches may be deep enough for all 

 the purposes of ordinary culture. Occasionally, how- 

 ever, ploughing deeper, in the course of a rotation, for* 

 the reasons formerly assigned, is certainly advisable. 



The following points remain to be touched upon, re- 

 garding ploughing, i. The angle at which the furrow 

 slice should be laid in particular cases : 2. The best 

 mode of ploughing steep lands : 3. The advantages of 

 water furrowing ; and, 4. The rate of ploughing with a 

 pair of horses. 



1. As one principal object in ploughing is, to lay the 

 land so that the harrows may, in the most effectual man- 

 ner, raise mould to cover the seed, this object is most 

 effectually accomplished by ploughing land of every de- 

 scription, with a furrow-slice about seven inches deep, 

 and which, if about io|. inches broad, raises the furrow- 

 slice with a proper shoulder ; thus endeavouring to form, 

 by the shoulder of each furrow, the angle 45, the point 

 which ought to be referred to, when determining between 

 the merits of different specimens of ploughing. That is 

 best obtained, by allowing the plough to incline a little 

 upon the left side, and making the breadth of the fur- 

 row always bear a due proportion to its depth, which is 

 about two-thirds, or as six deep and nine broad *. 



2. When a field is exceedingly steep, some farmers 

 plough only down hill, the plough being drawn up hill 

 empty. By this method the horses travel up hill in 

 less than half the time they could go with a furrow, 

 and by being quite fresh at the top, they come down 

 with spirit ; and by giving the direction a little to 



* Remarks by Mr Hope of Fenton, 



