Chap. XXIII. Of the Hoe-Plough, Gfr. 403 

 Pofture; but then the Plants commonly being low, 

 there is no Danger of the Whipper's or Limber's 

 hitching or taking hold of them ; but the Driver muft 

 take care, that he does not tread on them, nor fuffer 

 any of the Horfes to do fo; and they of thernfelves, 

 when they are not blind, take all the Care they can 

 to avoid it ; and I obferve, that the Plants are oftener 

 injured by the Driver, than by the Horfes. 



'Tis in this Jail-mentioned manner of Hoeing, 

 when we go very near to the young Plants, the Firil 

 or Second time, that we muft take care of burying 

 them with the Earth, which (efpecially when dry and 

 fine) is apt to run over to the left Side of the Plough ; 

 this we can in great meafure prevent, when the Ground 

 is clean, by nailing with Three or Four Nails a very 

 thin fquare Piece of Board to the Sheat, with one 

 Corner bearing at, or below, a, in Fig. 1. and its 

 other lower Corner bearing on the Back of the Coul- 

 ter on its left Side at £, its upper Corner reaching to 

 c or higher ; its fore End is ty'd on to the Coulter by 

 a leathern Thong paffing thro' an Hole very near the 

 End of the Board. The lower Edge of the Board muft 

 come no lower than the prlck'd Line <2, £, which, 

 at £, is j uft even with the Surface of the Ground, be- 

 fore it is rais'd by the Share - 9 for if this Board mould 

 be fet down too near the Share, the Plough would not 

 go ; but, being fet in this manner, it prevents the 

 Earth (when never fo much pulveriz'd in the drieft 

 Weather) from running over upon the Plants to bury 

 .hem, tho' the Plough go very near them; except in 

 this cafe, we never ule a Board, the Earth running over 

 to the left Side, being often advantageous in Hoeing ; 

 for it changes more Surface of the Ground, than if it 

 went all to the right ; and when in Summer we hoe 

 from the Wheat-rows, not going very near to the 

 grown Plants, this Earth that runs over the Share to 

 the Leftj helps to mend fuch Places where the Furrow 



D d 2 was 



