Chap. III. O F H O R S E-H O E S. 455 



*< been cut deep; that fituation being alone capable of making the 

 *• corn tiller, and puili ftrongly: though the afliflance of culture is 

 " likewife necelTary, to fupply the flalks and ears with plentiful nou- 

 " rifhment. 



*' I am the better pleafed with this method of bringing the hoe- 

 *' plough almoft clofe to the rows, as it facilitates a very important 

 *' operation, ftrongly recommended by M. Duhamel, and which I 

 *' never before thought pradlicable : I mean the raifing up of the 

 " earth about the bottom of the plants, as well to give them greater 

 *' nourishment, as to prevent their being lodged. The following is 

 " my method on this occalion. 



*• When I fill up the furrow which I have cut as clofe as poffible 

 " to the row, I hold the plough floping, in fuch manner that the 

 " earth is forced away from it, and is raifed up about the plants. 

 " If this flope is not fufficient, which may fometimes depend on 

 " the condition of the ground, or the dexterity of the plowman, I 

 " in that cafe make the mould-board two or three inches wider, 

 " when I ufe it to fill the furrow, than it was when I made that 

 " furrow: and to that end I fcrew on to the extremity of the mould 

 " board, a thin plate of iron about four or five inches wide. Thofe 

 " who pradlife the new hufbandry in fo extenfive a manner as to em- 

 " ploy feveral ploughs, will find no inconvenience in having one, 

 " larger than the reft, purpofely for this important operation. As 

 " I do not give this fecond hoeing with the plough, till after the 

 " corn has begun to fpindle, it is eafy for me to avoid burying the 

 " plants, efpecially if there are no great clods in the ground: but at 

 ** all events I always earth the plants up as much as poflible, when 

 *' there is no other danger than that of burying here and there a few 

 " of them ; becaufe that accident is eafily remedied afterwards, if it 

 ** be worth while. 



" When I am to give the third hoeing with the plough, I con- 

 " fider the condition of the ground. If it is in good tilth, well 

 ** loofened, and free from weeds, I ufe only the cultivator: other- 

 " wife I ufe the plough, three or four turns of v^hlch are fufficient 

 " to perform this operation, in the following manner. 



" The firft cut turns the earth over into the middle furrow j the 

 " fecond and third are in a contrary diredion, and the fourth takes 

 " up what was loofened by the third, whereby the furrow is repla- 

 " ced in the middle of the alley. Some time after this, and efpe- 

 " cially if a fhower of rain has fallen, I cut that furrow ftill deeper, 



" by 



