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norant and careless, who are apt to 

 despise new inventions, will not 

 perform it in the best manner. So 

 that a gentleman must always do 

 his own sowing himself, if he wish- 

 es to have it done well. And not 

 every gentleman who has a farm 

 will be disposed to submit to this 

 employment. Neither does the 

 drill plough perform well on sidling 

 sit\iations and declivities. To which 

 it n\ay be added, that there are ma- 

 ny kinds of seed which it is next to 

 impossible to sow well with this 

 machine. Such are all the hooked, 

 winged, fiat, long shaped, and ex- 

 tremely light seeds ; such as those 

 of carrots, parsnips, lettuce, &;c. It 

 will not well deliver any but those 

 which are ponderous, smooth, and 

 so round, or regular shaped, as to 

 be easily put in motion. 



These difficulties are complained 

 of in the old countries ; but there 

 is a more material one to conflict 

 with jn many parts of this. In ma- 

 ny of our fields, stumps of trees, 

 roots, rocks and stones, are so fre- 

 quently met with, that the drill 

 plough could not be used. It is 

 necessary that the ground should 

 be perfectly clear of every thing 

 that can obstruct or hinder the go- 

 ing of the drill. These obstacles, 

 I confess, are not insuperable ; but 

 in process of time may be removed. 

 And in future generations the drill 

 may be more conveniently used. 



These objections apply chiefly to 

 the newly settled parts of our coun- 

 try. 



I have not mentioned these things 

 with any view to deter my country- 

 men from attempting to apply the 

 new mode ofculture to winter grain. 



There is nothing that I more sin- 

 cerely wish, than to see careful ex- 

 ments made with it. But 1 think 

 this caution ought to be observed, 

 never to attempt to raise spring 

 wheat, or spring rye, in this man- 

 ner. Though I have never read, 

 nor heard, of horse hoeing spring 

 wheat in England, I have known it 

 tried by several persons to their 

 mortification and loss, in this coun- 

 try. The crops were so entirely 

 blasted as to be scarcely worth reap- 

 ing. This has been the case,when 

 the culture has been conducted by 

 some of the most judicious persons, 

 with great attention, and with the 

 proper apparatus. The true rea- 

 son of their miscarriage I take to be 

 this, that as spring grain ripens later 

 than winter grain, and hoed later 

 than unhoed grain, it could not be 

 ripe till some time in August,when 

 some of the nights are so cold as to 

 blast the grain, by stopping the as- 

 cent of the sap. 



But let the new husbandry be 

 tried on winter wheat, sown in Au- 

 gust, or September, on a warm soil 

 with asouthern exposure,and where 

 there are no stones, nor any other 

 obstacles ; and let the seed be 

 brought from some place at least a 

 hundred miles northward. If with 

 these advantages for ripening early, 

 and in favourable seasons, a good 

 crop of wheat cannot be obtained, 

 it will not be worth while to make 

 any further trials. But it should be 

 tried on rye also ; for as that is 

 known to be a hardier grain than 

 wheat, it is possible it may answer 

 better in this husbandry. 



We need not be at the expense 

 of procuring drill plough8,and horse 



