OPERATIONS OF TILLAGE. 135 



with the successive furrow-slices, until the plough reaches 

 the open furrows D E, F G. In this manner the whole 

 ridge is ploughed, and an increased elevation and curva- 

 ture given to it. This operation is termed gathering. 



" In performing the operation of gathering, it is impor- 

 tant that the ridge be formed with a uniform curvature, so 

 that it shall not have what is technically termed a shoul- 

 der, or hollow part, on each side of the crown. It is to 

 prevent this defect, that the open track is made along the 

 crown before the first two slices are laid together ; by 

 which means the ploughman is better enabled to lay them 

 upon each other in such a manner that they shall not over- 

 lap and form a protuberance at the crown of the ridge. 

 A transverse section of the ridges, when gathered, will 

 appear thus : — 



Fig. 23. 



B C E C G 



" A ridge, however, being already formed, it may be 

 wished to plough it again, and yet to preserve it at the 

 same curvature and elevation. In this case, the plough 

 is to enter at the open furrow, and to lay the successive 

 furrow-slices towards it, until the two adjoining ridges are 

 ploughed. By this means all the slices of the same ridge 

 lie in the same direction, and the curvature and elevation 

 of the whole remain as before. This operation is termed 

 casting, and the manner in which the furrow-slices rest 

 upon each other will appear in fig. 23. 



" In the same operation of casting, two methods may 

 be pursued. The two first furrow-slices, as those at E 

 and C, may be laid resting upon each other, as in fig. 

 24, in which case the two ridges will be formed, as it 



Fig. 24. 



B C E C G 



i 



were, into one large ridge ; or else, the open furrow at 

 E may be preserved by keeping the two first furrow-slices 



