Chap. IX. Of Whea t. 93 



nerally Wheat lives, or ought to live, longer than 

 other Sorts of Corn ; for if it be not fown before 

 Spring, its Grain will be thin, and have but little 

 Flour in it, which is the only ufeful Part for making 

 Bread. And when fown late in the Winter, 'tis in 

 great Danger of Death from the Froft, whilft weak 

 and tender, being maintain'd (as a. Fat us) by the um- 

 bilical VefTels, until the Warmth of the Sun enables 

 it to fend out fufiicient Roots of its own to fubfift on, 

 without Help of the Ovum. 



To prevent thefe Inconveniences, Wheat is ufually 

 fown in Autumn: Hence, having about thrice the 

 Time to be maintain'd that Spring Corn hath, k re- 

 quires a larger Supply of Nourifhment, in proportion 

 to that longer Time -, not becaufe the Wheat in its In- 

 fancy confumes the Stock of Food, during the Winter, 

 proportionably to what it does afterwards ; but be- 

 caufe, during that long Interval betwixt Autumn and 

 Spring Seed-times, mod of the artificial Pafture is 

 naturally loft, both in light and in ftrongLand. 



For this very Reafon is. that extraordinary Pains of 

 fallowing and dunging the Soil, neceflary to Wheat 1 

 tho', notwithstanding all that Labour and Expence, 

 the Ground is generally grown fo ft ale by the Springs 

 and fo little of the Benefit of that chargeable Culture 

 remains, that, if Part of the fame Field be fown in 

 the Beginning of April, upon frefh Plowing, without 

 the Dung, or Year's Fallow, it will be as great or a 

 greater Crop, in all Refpecls, except the Flour, which 

 fails only for want of Time to fill the Grain. 



Poor light Land, by the common Hufbandry, 

 muft be very well cultivated and manur'd, to main- 

 tain Wheat for a whole Year, which is the ufual Time 

 it grows thereon; and if it be fown late, the greateft 

 Part of it will feldom furvive the Winter, on fuch 

 Land ; and if it be fown very early on ftrong Land, 

 tho' rich, well till'd, and dung'd, the Crop will be 

 vvorfe than on the poor light Land fown early. So 



much 



