470 NORFOLK SOCIETY. 



than the soil above ; to deepen here would be only to add to 

 the previous poverty, and hence the cultivator must hit upon 

 some other mode of restoring fertility than mere deep cultiva- 

 tion. Nay, we have seen the mere deep ploughing of ordinary 

 land operate against immediate productiveness, and have, for 

 a time, exactly the opposite tendency." 



In the most successful improvement of sandy or thin soils 

 in this country, the depth of ploughing for ordinary field crops 

 has seldom exceeded five inches, perhaps never exceeded six 

 inches. On similar soils in England, the depth has generally 

 been less. Mr Colman, in his European Agriculture, states the 

 average depth of English ploughing, as five inches ; but adds, 

 — " Three of the most eminent practical farmers with whom I 

 am acquainted here, plough not more than three inches ; but 

 the surface mould in these cases is very thin, and the under 

 stratum is a cold, clammy chalk." He refers to one very suc- 

 cessful farmer, who cultivates " a light, poor, thin, moory soil, 

 with a subsoil of either blue or white clay, peat, or gravel," 

 who, instead of breaking up his sward with the common plough, 

 cuts it up with the breast or paring plough, and in a six years' 

 rotation, it is ploughed " four times by men and three times 

 with a single horse plough," the latter not going to the depth 

 of more than three inches. He says, another farmer in the same 

 neighborhood states that the use of the common plough would 

 not leave the ground sufficiently firm for wheat. He refers also 

 to Mr. Pusey, who occupies similar land, and who says, — "I 

 never plough it deeply, but I repent of so doing," and adds, 

 that he is getting more and more into the practice of using the 

 breast plough instead of the horse plough ; and, in conclusion, 

 he (Mr. Pusey) says, — " Without recommending shallow cul- 

 tivation in districts where deep ploughing has been hitherto 

 practised, I would merely warn beginners against plunging 

 recklessly into the subsoil." 



Mr. Colman refers, also, to the practice which prevails in 

 England, of compressing light soils for the growth of wheat, 

 by the use of the roller and by the tread of animals, (some- 

 times by human feet,) but especially by sheep. In the culti- 

 vation of wheat and other grains in this country, a similar 

 course has been found advantageous. The sandy soils in On- 

 tario County, N. Y., and those near Albany, may be referred to 



