98 Influence of Season on Crops, Fall-ploughing, &c. 



of which was soft, and that which was hard and fit to grind, 

 was shrivelled, and did not appear as if come to maturity. 

 In the year 1815, my water melons ripened in 82 days 

 from the time the seed was put in the ground, and I though* 

 from the badness of the season (for here it was not a good 

 one,) that they were several days later than usual in 

 ripening. In 1816, my water-melons were 102 days 

 from the time they were planted until the first one ripened : 

 musk-melons were 111 days from the time of planting, 

 before I had a ripe one ; which made a difference of 20 

 days in the time of the water-melons, and 24 days differ- 

 ence in the others. And I believe that almost every 

 thing else except, wheat and rye, was in the same pro- 

 portion of time coming to maturity : the oat harvest was 

 at least three weeks later than in other years, neither did 

 the hickory or walnuts come to their usual maturity, for 

 I have not seen any with a perfect kernel ; they generally 

 shrunk and in a degree withered. 



I saw an extraordinary exemplification of the advan- 

 tage of fall-ploughing, last summer about two miles from 

 me. 



There are two fields which were originally one tract 

 of land, and the publick road now divides them, I know 

 of no difference in the soil ; they are both level and oppo- 

 site to each other. They were originally timbered with 

 black oak, upland hickory, with some gum, persimon, dog- 

 wood, &c. and the stone, white flint ; both fields had been in 

 clover about the same time; but the blue grass was taking 

 possession of them. Dr. Grayson who owns one of the 

 fields, had it ploughed up in the autumn of 1815 ; Mr. 

 Bell the owner of the other field, ploughed his the spring 



