OCTOBER. 553 



that can by any means be thus managed, are put 

 in on ail autumnal ploughing, which has thrown 

 the stitches very carefully ploughed to the exact 

 breadth which suits either one movement of the 

 drill, or a bout of that tool ; according to the sys- 

 tem the farmer is in, some preferring one and some 

 the other. The frosts give a considerable friability 

 to the surface, so that the farmer can go on v< ry 

 early in the spring, and after one scarifying and 

 borrowing, drill the corn without a horse's foot 

 treading any where except in the stitch furrows. 



The advantages of this system are beyond con- 

 ception. In the common husbandry of giving two 

 or three spring ploughings, or even one, that friable 

 surface the gift of the atmosphere, is turned down, 

 and in eight seasons out of ten lost, to be had no 

 more. Successive rain and sharp N. E. winds give a 

 succession of mire and clods, to the material clclav, 

 expence and vexation of the farmer. His crops suf- 

 fer greatly, and he is generally in the afternoon of 

 spring operations. 



The improvement is applicable to the broad cast 

 system, as well as to the drill ; but as it was intro- 

 duced, I believe, by those who had been in the habit 

 of drilling wheat, they applied it to drilling barley 

 and oats. It removed at once the main objection to-- 

 this part of the system, and has been pursued with 

 very great success by the be.st farmers on the strong 

 lands of Suffolk. 



Turnips fed late will in some seasons cause an 

 exception, and render one ploughing necessary. 



The main objection to drilling being by- this cir- 

 cumstance 



