46 Of T i l l a c te. Chap. V, 



Hard Ground makes a too great Refiftance, as 

 Air makes a too little Refiftance, to the Superficies 

 of Roots. 



Farmers, juft when they have brought their Land 

 into a Condition fit to be further till'd to much greater 

 Advantage, leave off, fuppofing the Soil to be fine 

 enough, when, with the Help of Harrows, they can 

 cover the Seed; and afterwards with a Roller they 

 break the Clods ; to the End that, if a Crop fucceed, 

 they may be able to mow it, without being hinder'd 

 by thofe Clods : By what I could ever find, this In- 

 ftrument, call'd a Roller, is feldom beneficial to good 

 Hufbands •, it rather untilis the Land, and anticipates 

 the fubfiding of the Ground, which in ftrong Land 

 happens too foon of itfelf (p). 



But more to blame are they, who neglect to give 

 their Land due Plowing, trufting to the Harrow to 

 make it fine -, and when they have thrown in their 

 Seed, go over it twenty Times with the Harrows (q) 

 till the Horfes have trodden it almoft as hard as a High- 

 way, which in moift Weather fpoils the Crop ; but on 

 the contrary, the very Horfes, when the Earth is moift, 

 ought all to tread in the Furrows only, as in plow- 

 ing with a Hoe-Plough they always do, when they 

 ufe it inftead of a common Plough. 



(p) This Injury the Roller does, is only when tis ufed to prefs 

 down the Earth after the Seed is fown ; and is the greater, if 

 Land be moift ; but the Rolling of it in dry Weather, when 'tis 

 to be immediately plow'd up again, is the moll fpeedy Way to 

 pulverize the Soil ; and the Harrow is then very uleful in pulling 

 up the Clods, to the End that the R.oller may the better come at 

 them to crufh them. 



(q) Nam <ve teres Romani dixerunt male fubaZium Agrum, qui fat is 

 Frugibus occandui fit. 



Sed ut compluribus Iterationibus fie rpfolnjatur <ver<vaflum in PuU 

 <verem, ut nullam <vel exiguam defideret Occationem, cum femina*veri- 

 mus. Col. Lib. 2« Cap. 4. 



C H A P. 



