378 O F M E A D O W. Part III. 



faften it to the fore carriage of a common plough, by running the 

 crofs flaves of that carriage, through thofe mortifes *. 



The coulters are pierced with feveral holes, viz. at L and M, in 

 order to raife them higher, or let them lower down : and they fhould 

 be of equal lengths below the beam, that all of them may enter 

 equally deep into the grouAd. Belides the pin which faftens them 

 at top, a wooden pin fhould be ftuck into the hole immediately be- 

 low the beam, to prevent their being raifed up by their preflure 

 upon the earth. 



The draining of land is another great improvement to it ; for tho' 

 meadows and pallures which are capable of being overflowed, pro- 

 duce a greater quantity of herbage than dry land ; yet where the 

 wet lies too long upon the ground, the grafs will be four and ex- 

 tremely coarfe ; and if great care is not taken to drain this land, it 

 will produce little grafs, but will foon be over-run with ruihes and 

 flags, fo as to be of little value. The land which is moft liable to 

 this, is cold ftiff clay, where the water cannot penetrate, but is 

 contained as in a difli ; fo that the wet which it receives in winter, 

 continues till the heat of the fun exhales it. 



The beft method for draining of thcfe lands, is, to cut federal 

 drains a-crofs the ground, in thofe places where the water is fubjedt 

 to lodge, and other larger drains to carry it off from them, to either 

 ponds or rivers in the lower parts of the land. Thefe drains need not 

 be made very large, unlefs the ground be very low, and fo fituated as 

 not to be near any river to which the water can be conveyed ; in. 

 which cafe there fhould be large ditches dug at proper diftances, in 

 the loweft part of the ground, to contain the water ; and the earth 

 which comes out of thofe ditches, fliould be equally fpread on the 



land^ 



* Having never feen one of thefe ploughs, it is with great deference that we would 

 prefume to find the lead fault in what is propofed by fo accurate a gentleman as M. de 

 Chateau-vieux. As this plough appears at prefcnt, too much feems to depend on the 

 flcill and dexterity of the plowman, to keep the coulters at a proper depth ; there being 

 no fupport at the heel of the plough, to render it more fleady, or take off the weight, 

 and thereby leflen the labour of the plowman. We would therefore propofe, that an 

 aitle-tree fhould pafs through the beam, near the infertion of the handles, on which 

 two wheels, proportioned to the length of the coulters, may turn at the diftance of nine 

 inches. This diftance will be fufficient to render the plough more fteady, and thefe 

 wheels will greatly leflen the plowman's labour ; and, running an inch and an half be- 

 yond the traces of the two outward coulters, if there are but three, and an inch and an 

 half within the two outmoft, in cafe there are five, they will not interfere with the 

 iiitentioQ of this operation< 



