Chap. II. BY M. DE CHATEAU-VIEUX. 191 



middle of the beds, in the partitions between the rows of Hubble. 

 The earth gave way like fand, when trod upon ; and though it was 

 very dry, I thruft a ftick. of green willow eight or ten inches deep 

 into it, with great eafe, though I could not by any means pufh it at 

 all into the land which had been cultivated in the common way. 

 This plainly iliews the better Hate of the former. 



" Laftly, I compared thefe fields with thofe that were in fallow, 

 which had been plowed, and were intended to be fowed in autumn. 

 I found the tops of the late reaped beds, in much better condition 

 than the common fields which were under fallow. This made me 

 immediately conclude, that thefe very beds might be fowed again 

 with fuccefs, in the fame places where the corn grew the year before, 

 nvithoiit ploiving them. 



"I thought, however, that if this experiment did fucceed, it would 

 be owing in fome meafure to the culture of the alleys, and that this 

 would fully prove the ufe they are of. This was another reafon 

 for my trying this experiment. 



" It appears by this, that my chief defign was to try whether the 

 fame ground could be fowed, in the fame place, two years running, 

 without plowing; and to fee how flrong the plants would, in that 

 cafe, be at harveft. 



" I was confequently to avoid, in fowing it, every thing that might 

 fupply the v/ant of plowing, and to ftir onlyjufl fo much earth as 

 was abfolutely neceffary to bury the feed. This confideration 

 prevented my ufing the drill-plough, the fhare and harrow of 

 which divide and loofen the earth perfeiflly well, as deep as the feed 

 is planted. 



" All I did to this bed, was, barely to pull up the flubble, and 

 afterwards draw a line with a ilick, as if it had been for fowing 

 lettice. The feed was dropt by hand into three of thefe channels 

 which were afterwards covered over with a rake. 



" The birds had done great damage to the wheat I fowe(i the year 

 before in this ground. To avoid this accident now, I fowed a kind 

 of corn calledy/>f//, which is ufed in many places inflead of wheat. 

 The Germans cultivate it greatly. The fpelt which I fowed is of a 

 fome what difterent kind. The grain of both forts is inclofed in 

 double hufks, very thick, and of which the outer one does not open 

 Qafily, fo that the birds cannot pick out the grains. 



** I fowed this bed very thick, concluding that the plants would not 

 branch much. And I fowed it early, wz.onthe nineteenth of Ji^ily, be- 



caufe 



