Chap. IV. OF THE FOOD OF PLANTS, 9. 



produce rye, millet, and buck-wheat, but cannot produce wheat, 

 or even oats. 



On the other hand, there are plants whofe roots can force their 

 way into a very hard foil, which others cannot penetrate. For in- 

 ftance, I believe the roots of oats pierce a hard ground more eafily 

 than the roots of barley : for oats do tolerably well in ftiff lands 

 that has been plowed but once ; whilft at leaft tvs'o plowings are 

 neceHary, in loofer foils, to have a good crop of barley. 



With regard to oats and barley, as they are not fown till fpring, 

 there is leifure enough to give them the necefiary plowings : and 

 the year of fallow affords fufficient time to give the land intended 

 for wheat, the four plowings which are necefiary for that grain. 



If therefore you would always fow wheat in the fame land, it 

 muft be fowed only every fecond year, and left fallow each inter- 

 mediate year, in order to give it the neceffary plowings. By this 

 means, I believe, it would always produce good crops. 



Mr. Tull relates a faft, which proves what we have juft advanced. 

 A farmer fowed a very rich piece of land with wheat, in the ufual 

 way. It grew fo rank, that it lodged, and yielded but little grain. 

 The owner, depending on the richnefs of his ground, plowed it but 

 once, and fowed it again with wheat, in hopes that being lefs rank 

 than the former, it would yield him a better crop. But it happened 

 quite otherwife. His wheat came up fo weak, that it fcarce yielded 

 the value of the feed. A manifefl proof that wheat cannot do well 

 in land that has not been fufHciently plowed. 



Wheat thrives well after a crop of turneps : and i\o -.vonder ; for 

 turneps are fown in land in very fine tilth, and the earth is kept in 

 a loofe flate while they are grov/ing. By this means, the wheat is 

 in land which has had more ftirring than is ufually beflowed upon it. 

 Add to this, that as cattle are generally turned into the ground to feed 

 upon the turneps, the land is well dunged by them. 



Care fhould be taken not to fow wheat on land that has been 

 under fain-foin : for the earth which has not been plowed for the 

 nine or ten years that the fain-foin grew on it, cannot be brought 

 to a fufHcient tilth for wheat by one or two plowings. Wheat v\'ill 

 grow very well after clover which has continued in the ground but 

 one year. The land ihould be dunged, and plowed fomc time be- 

 fore it is fown. The clover leaves the ground in a loofe Hate, and 

 therefore fit for wheat. 



Let us conclude then, that it is pofTible to have a good crop of 



C wheat 



