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the left as you go down, the furrow falls away from 

 the plough freely, every inch of the sail is perfect- 

 ly raised, and lies so close together, that lying in that 

 state for one year in some soils, and in others for two 

 years, the sod rots, and being all laid one way, cuts easi- 

 ly by the plough ; whereas, when attempting to plough 

 against hill, the ploughing is not half done, grows up in 

 grass, and, when cross ploughed, makes a bad appear- 

 ance ; and the fighting against hill, hurts a horse, in one 

 day, more than three days' ploughing in the way pointed 

 out. Only one fourth of the time is lost, but that is 

 doubly repaid, by getting the work properly done, and 

 the advantage in the after ploughing. Mr Blackie of 

 Holydown, in Roxburghshire, who makes this remark, 

 states, that he has cultivated a great deal of ground on 

 thi principle, and that he is never afraid of any land, 

 howe er steep, if there is soil enough ; and that by this 

 mode laud may be ploughed, which would otherwise be 

 impracticable. In similar situations other judicious hus- 

 bandmen prefer ploughing in diagonal ridges, so con- 

 structed as to admit of ploughing up hill without mate- 

 rial injury to the horses ; and in this way the furrows 

 are much less apt to be run away or sanded by heavy 

 rains. Where the land is excessively steep, it is often 

 necessary to plough directly across, throwing the plaits 

 or furrow slices all down hill ; and, with the ordinary 

 plough, going back empty. But where there is much 

 land of this excessive steepness to cultivate, a plough 

 with a shifting mould -board, usually called a turn-wrest 

 plough, admits of ploughing both backwards and for- 

 wards, shifting the mould board in such a manner as al- 

 ways to throw the furrow- slice down hill. These two 

 last methods have been suggested by Mr Kerr of Ayton, 

 in his BeYwickshire Report, who has seen and practised 

 both. 



