Chap.II. BY M. DE CHATEAU-VIEUX. -201 



'< I have often refledted on this paflage in Mr. Du Hamel's trea- 

 tife of the culture of lands : One of the Frefidcnt Montefquicus far- 

 mers reaped a great crop ofSpaniJlj wheat, from his farm near Chirac^ 

 at a time when all his neighbours crops ivcre very bad. The Pre/idcnt 

 nfkcd him, what he had done to have fuch extraordinary fuccefs. The 

 fanner anfwered, that he had plowed his ground ekven times between 

 feed-time and harvejl ; and that by this means he had reaped the be- 

 nefit of all the rains, dews, fogs, &c. whilfi his neighbours lands were 

 not at all bettered by them, on account of a dry hard kind of crujl, 

 which grew over their grounds, for want of plowing. 'This obfervation 

 agrees perfeSlly with the principles on whicJj the new hujbandry is 

 Jounded. 



" This fhews us that an aftive, intelligent, and induftrious far- 

 mer will always reap the fruit of his labour and expence. But with- 

 out pretending to fay that land ought to be plowed quite fo manj 

 times, we learn from this example, that it would be greatly for the 

 public good, to plow it oftener than it generally is. 



" I multiplied my plowings, in the fpring, and till feed-time. I 

 gave my land fix plowings in all : but I afcribe the great benefit I 

 received, chiefly to the manner in which thofe plowings were per- 

 formed, and to which I beg the reader ferioully to attend. 



" After the beds were formed, my method was this. I changed 

 their pofition by removing the middle of the beds to the place where 

 the great furrow in the middle of the alley was ; or, to make my- 

 felf better underflood, I performed the fame plowing that we do 

 after the firft crop is reaped. 



" This operation is of fuch importance, that it requires my be- 

 ing ftill more explicit. I fliall therefore relate the whole preparation 

 that I gave my land. In the firft place, I plov.^ed it' twice, as deep 

 as poffibly I could, in broad lands. The beds were formed at the 

 third plowing. I afterwards gave a fourth plowing, to raife them 

 ftill higher, by opening the firft furrow in the middle or higheft 

 part of the beds, and turning the earth on both fides up againft 

 that middle, by which means the beds were arched very high, and 

 a great furrow was left in the middle of the alleys. I went farther 

 yet ; .and this I ought to reckon as a feventh operation : I cut the 

 great furrow in the middle of the alley ftill deeper, with one turn 

 of my cultivator with two mould boards. 



*'. The beds thus prepared, were certainly in good order to be fow^ 



P d ed : 



