OF PLOUGHING. 223 



epidemic in these Carses, are now altogether unknown in 

 that neighbourhood.* 



But although deep ploughing, to a certain extent, is ad- 

 visable, yet there is a medium in this as well as in other 

 things. Mr Hope of Fenton, in East Lothian, states, that 

 he has tried the experiment of ploughing very deep with 

 four horses, the result of which was far from encouraging 

 a continuance of the practice. In one case, where he 

 ploughed part of a fallow field with four horses, at four- 

 teen inches deep, the crop of wheat was evidently worse 

 than upon the rest of the field, that was ploughed in the 

 usual manner; the land at the same time was of good qua- 

 lity, sufficient to have admitted a furrow much deeper 

 than what was given. The reason of the inferiority of the 

 crop, upon the deep-ploughed part, appeared to be, in con- 

 sequence of that part of the soil, which had for ages been 

 regularly manured, being turned down below the reach of 

 the roots of the plants, and soil of a poorer quality brought 

 up in its place. He is therefore inclined to think, that it 

 is unnecessary to plough deeper, than where there is a fair 

 probability of the different kinds of plants sending their 

 roots; and as beans, clover, and turnips, the only tap- 

 rooted kinds usually cultivated in this country, seldom send 

 their shoots above seven or eight inches down into the soil, 

 and the culmiferous species not so far, it is probable, from 

 these circumstances, that from seven to nine inches, may 

 be deep enough, for all the purposes of ordinary culture. 

 Occasionally, however, ploughing even a little deeper, in 



* See Dr Graham's valuable Report of Stirlingshire, p. 246 and 247. 

 More cleanliness, and better living among the lower orders, have also 

 contributed to the great diminution which has taken place in fevers of 

 an intermittent sort. 



