Chap. II. BY M. DE CHATEAU-VIEUX. 157 



be repeated two, three, or four times: but I think one hoeing 

 highly necelFary juft before the ears break forth. They certainly 

 grow longer and larger by it. 



" The lafl: hoeing is the moft important of all, and that which 

 can leafl be difpenfed with. It mufl: be performed as foon as the 

 bloffom is gone oif the wheat. 'This Jills the whole ear, and/wells 

 the grain. 



" When farmers become fenfible of the good effedls of thefe 

 frequent ftirrings, they will not negleiS: to repeat them at the proper 

 feafons. It is by a fucceffion of them, that, in my opinion, crops 

 can be brought to their higheft perfedlion : and if unfavourable 

 feafons prevent their being done at their proper times, a diminu- 

 tion of the crop will moft affuredly follow. 



" No one who conliders the produce of the ears of corn on 

 lands cultivated according to the new, and the old hufbandry, will, 

 I believe, doubt which of thefe is to be preferred. I fhall beftow 

 a few moments, to point out the difference which I have found 

 between the one and the other. 



" I faid before, that 360 ears yielded me 18 ounces of wheat. 

 Here is a determined fad: ; and I am certain that I have not en- 

 larged it ; becaufe the birds had eat fome of the grain-: otherwife 

 fewer ears would have produced thofe i 8 ounces. 



" When, in the year 1750, I firft began to inquire into the 

 principles of the new hufbandry, I judged it might be of fome im- 

 portance to come at the knowledge of what the ufual produce of a 

 plant of wheat is, when cultivated in the common way. That 

 year was reckoned a very good one for wheat, which appeared 

 clean and good as it flood upon the ground. I took this method 

 to come at the knowledge I wanted : 



" I took part of a fheaf which appeared to me very good, and 

 which was the produce of a very rich field. I divided it into three 

 parcels. In the firfl parcel were all the good ears ; the middling 

 and fmall ears were in the fecond, and the ears in which there was 

 no grain, or where the grain was faulty, compofed the third. 



" The wheat being thus divided, I counted the number of ears 

 in each parcel. I found 400 in the firil, which confifted of the' 

 befl ears; 1600 in the fecond, which contained the middling and 

 fmalleft ears ; and in the third, 750 ears, or plaats whofe grain 

 was faulty. I made no account of a great number of imperfefl 

 ihoots which were not fix inches long. 

 .^ i «' The 



