64, w/ Hoeing. Chap. VI. 



bages with a Hand-hoe, he inflead thereof dug his 

 with a Spade : And nothing can more nearly equal 

 (a) the Ufe of the Horfe-hoe than the Spade does. 



And when the Plants have never (o much Pabulum 

 near them, their fibrous Roots cannot reach it all, 

 before the Earth naturally excludes them from it; for, 

 to reach it all, they muft fill all the Pores (i?), which 

 is impoffible : So far ctherwife it is, that we (hall find 

 it probable, that they can only reach theleaft Part of 

 it, unlefs the Roots could remove themfelves from 

 Place to Place, to leave fuch Pores as they had exhauft- 

 ed, and apply -themfelves to fuch as wereunexhaulled - 9 

 but they not being endow'd with Parts neceflary for 

 local Motion fas Animals are), the Hoe-Plough fup- 

 lies their Want of Feet •, and both conveys them to 

 their Food, and their Food to them, as well as pro- 

 vides it for them •, for by tranfplanting the Roots, it 

 gives them Change of the Pafture, which it increafes 

 by the very Act of changing them from one Situation 

 to another, if the Intervals be wide enough for this 

 Hoeing Operation to be properly perform'd. 



The Objections mofl likely to prepoffefs Peoples 

 Minds, and prevent their making Trials of this Huf- 

 bandry, are thefe : 



Firft, they will be apt to think, that thefe wide, 

 naked Spaces, not being cover'd by the Plants, will 

 not be fufficient to make a good Crop. 



For Anfwer, we muft confider, that tho' Corn, 

 flanding irregular and fparfim, may feem to cover 



(a) The Hoe-plough exceeds the Spade in this Refpett, that it 

 removes more of the Roots, and cuts orr fewer ; which is an Ad- 

 vantage when we till near to the Bodies of Plants that are grown 

 large. 



[b) The Roots of a Mint, fet a whole Summer in a Glafs, 

 kept constantly replenifhed with Water, will, in Appearance, fill 

 the whole Cavity of the Glafs ; but by compreihng the Roots, or 

 by obferving how much Water the Glafs will hold when the 

 Roots are in it, we are convinc'd, that they do not fill a Fourth- 

 part of its Cavity; tho' they are not ilopp'd by Water, as they 

 are by Earth. the' 



