98 



suits, do not leave us room to doubt. In this place, however, it is 

 not convenient to me to go farther into a subject, which, in the pro- 

 gress of the survey, will receive its due share of attention. 



My own belief is, that there is as much lime now in our soils as 

 was ever to be found there. Formerly, there was no difficulty in rais- 

 ing wheat here of the best quality. Now it is often raised successfully, 

 and always on newly cleared land, excepting only accidents, which 

 have no connexion with the soil, accidents from insects and changes. 

 or conditions of the weather. I believe therefore there is, in fact, no 

 difficulty, under proper management, in its cultivation ; and a crop 

 of wheat may be considered ordinarily as certain as other crops. 

 This the experience of many farmers confirms. 



The great point to be aimed at is to bring a new soil to the surface, 

 on which to plant your wheat. Plough therefore deep ; completely 

 invert the sod, and keep it undisturbed. Bring a portion of the sub- 

 soil to the surface, to be operated upon by the influences of sun, 

 rain, air, and compost manure. Then make corn your first crop ; 

 and wheat your second ; or make wheat your first crop ; and with 

 proper seeding and tilth, there is reason to believe that your crop will 

 be as sure as human skill can make it. So many facts, confirming 

 the success of this process, have come under my knowledge, that I 

 feel if not an absolute yet a very strong confidence in it ; and urge it 

 upon the farmers to make a fair experiment. 



Our cultivation is in many cases loo superficial. In the First Re- 

 port of the Agriculture of Massachuseus I took much pains to re- 

 commend the introduction of a subsoil plough^ of which I then gave 

 drawings and a full account. From farther inquiries and some ex- 

 periments, which have come within my observation, my convictions 

 of the great utility and importance of such an implement are strength- 

 ened ; and I earnestly request the attention of the farmers to the sub- 

 ject as therein treated, and to experiments with it, by which, under 

 proper management, I verily believe the productiveness of iheir soil 

 may be increased five and twenty or fifty per cent.; and many parts 

 of Massachusetts he rendered as productive in the bread-grains, as 

 those other parts of our country, which have been deemed singularly, 

 and in this respect almost exclusively, favored. 



6. Wire-Worm. — Manning Brown, of Williamstovvn, says, 



