Improvement of arable Land. 1 35 

 to place it here. And firft of Summer Fal- 

 lowing. 



Of Summer Faliowing. 



This I call a Natural Way of improving 

 Land, it being efFefted without the Addition 

 of Artificicil Comports, and Nature, with the 

 fimple AppHcation of Folding, renews the 

 exhaufted Vigour of the Earth, by its being 

 laid fallow all the Summer, where by the 

 Diftillation of the Rain and Dews that tall 

 in Summer, and by the Joynt Operation of 

 the Sun, Air, and Rain (but chiefly of the 

 Sun as prim.e Agent) the Ground is as it 

 were calcinM § for the EfFeft that attends all 

 Lands thus fallowed I take to be this, that 

 during the four hoc Months, fuch kind of 

 Lands are expos*d to the continual burning 

 Heat of the Sun, and in fbme Meafure heated 

 as Chalk or Stone is in a Lime Kiln ; by 

 which means the Crudities of the Earth are 

 correfted, and the firft Rains that comes in 

 Auguft^ make it fall to a Powder, as Chalk 

 or Lime-ftone well burnt does, when Water 

 is thrown thereon, and that in the ftifFeft 

 and moft furly of all our Soils, And, tho^ 

 at firft Sight, there may be fome Reafon to 

 think, that during the exccflive Heats, that 

 reign in fome hot Summers, the Juices and 

 Vital Qiialities of the Earth may be thereby 

 exhaufted ; yet we find the contrary by Ex- 

 L 3 perience. 



