44 Of T i l l a g e. Chap. V. 



Doubt, that any Soil (m) (be it rich or poor) can ever 

 be made too fine by Tillage (n). 



For 'tis without Difpute, that one cubical Foot of 

 this minute Powder may have more internal Super- 

 ficies, than a thoufand cubical Feet of the fame, or 

 any other Earth till'd in the common Manner-, and, 

 I believe no two arable Earths in the World do ex- 

 ceed one another in their natural Richnefs Twenty 

 Times •, that is, one cubical Foot of the richeft is not 

 able to produce an equal Quantity of Vegetables, ce- 

 teris paribus > to Twenty cubical Feet of the pooreft \ 



(m) Land that is too hollow and light, having no Cement to 

 join its Parts together, tho' in Nature they are capable of infinite 

 Divifion, yet in Practice the Plough cannot divide them to any 

 Purpcfe, unlefs they were firft join'd, but glides through without 

 breaking them ; being more like to the primary Particles of 

 Water againft the Plough, which are broken by no Force, than 

 to Earth; it may be moved, but not broken by Tillage, and 

 therefore ought not to be reputed arable; nor does it indeed de- 

 ferve the Name of Land, but as the defart Sands of Lybia, to 

 diftinguim it from Sea. 



(n) According to fome, this Rule is only general, and not 

 univerfal; for, fay they, there's a Sort of binding Gravel, that, 

 when it is made five, will, by a fudden Dafhof Rain, run together 

 like a Metal ; and I have feen the fame Accident in a particular 

 Sort of nvhite Land ; but this very rarely happens to the latter : 

 3 never knew it above once, and that was after Barley was fown 

 on it ; the Hardnefs was only like a very thin Ice upon the Sur- 

 face, which was fome Hindrance to the coming up of the Barley, 

 until the Harrow's going over it once or twice broke that Ice or 

 Cruft, and then it came up very well. 



I never had any other Sort of Land liable to this Misfortune : 

 therefore can fay nothing to the Gravel in that Cafe, nor how 

 deep the Confiipation may reach in it, nor what Remedy is moft 

 proper to prevent the ill Confequence of it: But if there mould 

 be two or three Exceptions out of One thoufand Seventy-nine Mil- 

 lions One tboufand andSixty different Sorts of Earth (fee Mr. Evelyn s 

 'Terra, p. 2), 'twill be no great Matter. 



But I think thefe are no real Exceptions againft any Degree of 

 Pulverizing; for it only Ihevvs, that fome Sorts of Land, tho* 

 very few, are fubjeel by Accident to lofe too foon their Pulvera- 

 tion: And if the Finenefs were no Benefit to that Land, fuchLofs 

 of it would be no Injury to it, 



therefore 



