Chap. IX. Of Wheat. 9p 



Ridge over the Place where the Trench was : But if 

 the Trench be not deep enough, go firft in the Mid- 

 dle of it with one Furrow, which with Two more 



them during the Firft Six Months j and if, for want of Suftenance, 

 they are weak in the Spring, 'twill be more difficult to make them, 

 recover their Strength afterwards fo fully as to bring them to 

 their due Perfection. But Ploughmen have found a Trick to 

 difappoint us in this fundamental Part sf our Hufbandry, if they 

 are not narrowly watched : They do it in the following Manner ; 

 t'/z. They contrive to leave the Trench very mallow ; and then, 

 in turning the Two Firft Furrows of the Ridge, they hold the 

 Plough towards the Left, which raifes up the Fin of the Share, 

 and leaves fo much of the Earth whereon the Rows are to Hand 

 whole and unplowed, that after Once Harrowing there doth not 

 remain above Two or Three Inches in Depth of fine Earth under- 

 neath the Rows when drilled, inftead of Ten or Twelve Inches. 



On a Time, when my Difeafes permitted me to go into the 

 Wheat-held, where my Ploughs were at Work, I difcovered this 

 Trick, and ventured to afk my chief Ploughman his Reafon for 

 doing this in my Ablence, contrary to my Direclion. He ma- 

 gifterially anfwer'd, according to his own Theory, which Servants 

 judge ought to be follow'd before that of him they call Mafter, 

 laying, That as the Roots of Wheat never reached more than Two 

 or Three Inches deep, there was no need that the fine Mould 

 mould be any deeper. Eut thofe mallow Ridges, which were in- 

 deed too many, producing a Crop very much inferior to the con- 

 tiguous deep Ridges, mewed, at my Coft, the Miftake of my cun- 

 ning Ploughman. 



'Tis true, that People who examine Wheat-roots when dead, 

 are apt to fall into this miftake; for then they are fhriveird up, 

 and fo rotten, that they break off very near to the Stalk in pull- 

 ing up ; but if they are examined in their Vigour at Summer with. 

 Care, in a friable Soil, they may be feen to defcend as deep as the 

 fine pulveriz'd Mould reacheth, though that mould be a Foot in 

 Thicknefs. 



I took up a Wheat-ear in Harveft: that had lain on the Grafs in 

 Wet Weather, where the Wind could not come to dry it, which 

 had fent out white Roots like the Teeth of a Comb, fome of 

 them Three inches long: None having reached the Ground, they 

 could not be nouriihed from any thing but the Grains, which re- 

 mained faft to the Ear, and had not as yet fent out any Blade. 'Tis 

 unreasonable to imagine, that fuch a fingle Root as one of thefe, 

 when in the Earth, from whence it mufl maintain a pretty large 

 Piant all or moll Part of the Winter, mould defcend no farther 

 than when it was itfelf maintained from the Flour of the Grain 



H 2 taken 



