300 Of Ploughing. 



tation. 2. Deep ploughing is highly advantageous upon 

 every soil, excepting those where the substratum is of an 

 ochery sand ( 5 ). In fact, shallow soils, with such a substra- 

 tum, are scarcely worthy of being cultivated, unless in situa- 

 tions, where much alluvial compost, or short town manure, 

 can be procured. 3. 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 there is plenty of lime or dung to be added to the 

 new soil for improving it ( 6 ). 4. When fallowing land, it is 

 advisable, to go as deep as possible with the first furrow, by 

 which the subsequent furrows will be more easily executed, 

 thus exposing the soil to the winter's frost, and to the sum- 

 mer's heat : but should a strong soil be ploughed in spring, 

 for a crop of oats, the furrow ought not to be deeper than 

 five or six inches. 5. Deep ploughing is advisable on moor- 

 ish cold soils, when they are first brought into cultivation, 

 as it affords a greater scope for the roots of plants to pro- 

 cure nourishment, allows the superabundant moisture to 

 subside from them, and prevents the summer drought from 

 making an injurious impression on the growing crops : but 

 where such poor soils are retained in cultivation, the depth 

 of ploughing ought in some degree to be in proportion to the 

 quantity of manure that can be applied ( 7 ). 6. Immediate- 

 ly before the seed is sown, it is unnecessary to plough to a 

 greater depth, than that to which the roots of the plants usual- 

 ly extend ; and as beans, clover, and turnips, (the tap-rooted 

 kinds commonly cultivated in this country), seldom send their 

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

 the culmiferous species in general, not so far, it is probable, 

 from these circumstances, that from seven to eight inches 

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

 Deep ploughing is not to be recommended ; 1. When 

 lime or marl has been recently applied, such articles having 

 a tendency to sink from their weight, and the moisture which 

 they imbibe. 2. Where turnips have been eaten off by sheep, 

 on the land where they were grown. 3. When grass, only two 

 or three years old, more especially where it has been pas- 

 tured with sheep, is broken up ; because, owing to the ex- 

 treme condensation of the soil, by the trampling of the sheep, 

 a furrow, even of a moderate depth, to appearance, will make 

 the plough penetrate, below the staple that had been cleared, 

 by the culture given during the previous fallow. By this 

 means, myriads of the seeds of annual weeds are raised to 

 the surface, where they vegetate, and materially injure the 



