68 AGRICULTURE. 



sil, animal, and vegetable manures, as well by their 

 mechanical action as by their chymical properties, 

 promote it; as do sand, pounded limestone, and 

 water, as in the culture of the rice ; but it is to the 

 spade and the plough we must look for that degree 

 of efficiency, without which the earth would have 

 remained a desert, or would become one. Of these, 

 where the scale of labour is small, as in garden cul- 

 ture, the former is to be preferred ; but, in farm- 

 ing, the greater expedition of the latter gives it a 

 decided advantage. Our remarks, therefore, will be 

 confined to the operations of this instrument ; and 

 particularly to such as have given occasion to dif- 

 ferences in opinion among practical farmers. 



1st. At what season of the year, spring, summer, or 

 fall, is ploughing best performed, in relation to division 

 and improvement of the soil, and the destruction of 

 weeds ? 



The more scientific opinion is in favour of fall 

 ploughing ; because to the action of air and moist- 

 ure it adds that of frost, whose septic or dividing 

 quality is second only to that of the plough itself. 

 In clay soils this preparation should never be omit- 

 ted ; because on those the action of frost is great- 

 est, and because one ploughing of this kind may 

 save two in the spring, when time is everything.* 

 In this operation, however, we must not forget to 

 ridge as well as plough; and care must be taken 

 that our furrows have sufficient declination to car- 

 ry off surplus water. With these precautions, clay 

 ground will be ready early in the spring for another 

 ploughing ; and the decomposition of the sod and 

 weeds turned down in the fall will be nearly, if 

 not altogether, complete.! 



* The marsh bean grows best on a fall ploughing ; and oaf*, 

 well harrowed, will, on such ploughing, give a good crop with- 

 out other culture. 



f Without water there is no decomposition, and much water 

 checks and prevents it 



