Chap. XVIII. Of Ploughs. 281 



the Share, did the Office of Ground-wrefts : This 

 Fafhion continues to this Day in thofe Countries, and 

 in Languedoc. 



This fort of Plough performs tolerably when 

 Ground is fine, and makes a fhift to break up light 

 Land; and I could never find any other Land there; 

 I am fure none comparable to ours for Strength: And 

 it would be next to impoflible, to break up fuch as 

 we in England call ftrong Land with it. 



I do not find, that the Arable Lands about Rome 

 are ever fuffered to lie ftill long enough to come to a 

 Turf-, but I have obferved in the low rich Lands in 

 the Calabria 's, fubjecl to the Invafions of the Turks , 

 that there is Turf, and that thefe Ploughs go over 

 the Land Two or Three times before the Turf of it 

 is all broken, tho 9 the Soil be a very mellow Sort 

 of Garden-mould. Having no Coulters to cut it, 

 they break and tear Turf into little Pieces. This 

 was done in the Month of November ; and had I not 

 feen Men and Oxen at the Work, or had there been 

 Oaks in the Place, I fhould rather have thought that 

 Tillage performed by a Race of the firft Teachers of 

 it, in muzzling Acorns, than by Ploughs. Howe- 

 ver, the Mould being naturally very mellow, when 

 the Turf is broken with iliallow Plowing, they can 

 plow deeper afterwards. 



The Englijh Ploughs are very different from the 

 Eajlern*, as in general the Soil is. 



Thefe, when well made, cut off the Furrow at 

 the Bottom horizontally ; and therefore, it being 

 as thick on the Land-fide as on the Furrow- fide, 

 the Plough cannot break it off from the whole Land, 

 at fuch aThicknefs (being Six times greater than the 

 Eajiern Ploughs have to break off J, and muii: of Ne- 

 cefiity have a Coulter to cut it off": By this means 

 the Furrow is turned perfectly whole, and no Part of 

 the Turf of it broken ; and if it lie long without 

 new turning, the Grafs from the Edges will fpread, 



and 



