338 



PLO 



PLO 



form veerings, or ridges, in the in- 

 tervals. It is performed with less 

 than half the expense of a plain 

 ploughing; and nearly the whole 

 of the surface is either taken up 

 or covered. European writers 

 think land should be ploughed im- 

 mediately after a crop of corn, 

 to prevent the stubs from robbing 

 the soil of its juices. Be this as it 

 may, the ploughing is at least as 

 useful as other autumnal plough- 

 ing ; and where dung has been put 

 in holes, it mixes it with the soil ; 

 not to mention the burying of some 

 of the stubs and leaves of the corn, 

 which is of some advantage to- 

 wards enriching the soil. 



There is another way of plough- 

 ing, called ribbing; which is mak- 

 ing furrows unconnected wilh each 

 other, three feet or more asunder. 

 It is but a fourth part so much work 

 as ploughing plain. One very 

 considerable advantage of it is, in- 

 creasing the superticies of the soil, 

 by which it is more exposed to the 

 action of frost, air, and dews, and 

 absorbs the largest quantity of nu- 

 tritive particles. 



In tillage land that is steep, rib- 

 bing is a further benefit to the soil, 

 as it prevents the washing down of 

 the vegetable mould, and the 

 strength of manures. With this 

 view the operation should be per- 

 formed in autumn. And the plough 

 must pass horizontally, or nearly 

 so, not up and down the steep. 



In pastures or grazing land, de- 

 clivities would produce the more 

 grass, if they were ribbed ; as the 

 benefit of sudden rains would not 

 so soon be over, by means of their 

 quickly running down into the 



vallies. At the same time, the 

 vallies would not so often be over- 

 charged wilh water. Furrows 

 eight or ten feet apart would an- 

 swer, and the ribbing would not 

 want to be repeated for a long 

 time. The furrows should be as 

 nearly horizontal as possible, as 

 well as in tillage land. 



The following maxims respect- 

 ing the proper depth of ploughing 

 are chiefly derived from the Code 

 of Agriculture. 



1. The depth to which land 

 ought to be ploughed, must first be 

 regulated by the depth of the soil. 

 On these soils, more especially on 

 a rocky substratum, the ploughing 

 must necessarily be shallow. 2. 

 The depth ought likewise to de- 

 pend on the means of improving 

 the soil ; — for where the land is 

 poor, and the means of enriching 

 it is scanty, the depth of ploughing 

 ought to be in proportion to the 

 quantity of maiuire which can be 

 obtained, 3. Deep ploughing is 

 highly advantageous upon every 

 soil excepting those where the sub- 

 stratum is of an ochry sand. In 

 fact such are scarcely worthy of 

 being cultivated, unless in situa- 

 tions where much alluvial compost, 

 or short town manure can be pro- 

 cured. 4. It is a general rule, 

 never to plough so deep as to 

 penetrate below the soil that was 

 formerly manured and cultivated, 

 excepting upon fallow, and then 

 only when you have plenty of lime 

 or dung to add to, and improve the 

 new soil. 5. Many farmers re- 

 commend, when fallowing land, to 

 i^o as deep as possible with the first 

 furrow ; by which the subsequent 



