Chap. III. O F H O I^ S E-H O E S. 453 



furrow immediately, taking care at the fame time to turn the mould 

 over to the roots of the plants, fo as to earth them up as much as 

 poffible. " I am glad, adds he, that I have had this opportunity 

 " of giving M. de Villiers's method, becaufe I think it a good one, 

 " and believe it will be of great fervice to fuch as may be inclined to 

 " pradtife our new hufbandry." 



Obfervations on Horfe-hoeing, by M. de Villiers. 



' T Have tried, fays this gentleman, to hoe my alleys after M. 

 ' "'■ de Chateau-vieux's method, which I look upon as the beft and 



* moft expeditious, notwithftanding that feveral difficulties which I 

 ' have met with in the practice of it, have obliged me to give it up. 

 ' For example, the great furrow in the middle of the alley is, ac- 

 ' cording to his diredtions, to be filled up by two turns of the plough, 



* one on the right hand, and the other on the left, after which it is to 



* be opened again by one turn of the cultivator with two mould- 

 ' boards, or two or three turns of the common plough. 



" When I fet about this work, the firfl turn of the plough, if the 



* fiiare went to any depth worth fpeaking of, always filled up the 

 ' furrow in fuch manner, that to prevent its being poached by the 

 ' horfes, I tried to make them walk on one fide, on the upper 



* ground, and confequently very near the rows of corn : but then, 



* in the firft place, I could not avoid the deftrudlion of a great num- 

 ' ber of plants, without giving fuch attention as was not only ex- 



* cefTively troublefome, but almoft impradlicable : and fecondly, I 



* could plow only the furface, becaufe as the furrow was filled, the 

 ' plough could turn up but very little earth, without being choaked 

 ' and becoming extremely heavy. 



" If, to fave the plants, I made the horfes tread partly on the 

 ' mould turned over into the furrow, the plough choaked equally, 



* and for the fame reafon, whenever the furrow was cut deep. 



* All I could do in this cafe, was to give only a fuperficial plowing : 



* and with that it was impoflible to ufe the cultivator with two 



* mould boards to form the furrow, becaufe that inftrument cannot 



* operate in any but a loofe well-tilled ground. 



" All thefe inconveniences may not happen in a foil different froni 



* mine. I am the more inclined to think this^, as M. de Chateau- 

 ' vieux certainly does not experience them : but at the fame time I 

 ' mud alfo obferve that that jullly celebrated gentleman has inftru- 



** rncnts 



