MR. SMITH'S SYSTEM OF CULTIVATING WHEAT. 81 



plan, and which meets a difficulty in our uncertain climate 

 of no ordinary importance. The rotation-farmer has a 

 heavy crop of wheat ; but, heigh-ho ! the wind and the 

 rain he is utterly helpless against these ; his wheat comes 

 down ; the rain it raineth every day, and his hopes are 

 blighted. I owe my general immunity from this disaster 

 to the broad space of my fallow intervals, which enables 

 me to take a turn with the plough up and down, and so 

 the soil being well pulverized, mind that to earth up my 

 wheat with the mould-board. 



" Immediately after this operation follows another of 

 singular efficacy in swelling the grain : I subsoil with 

 Sigma* s subsoiler as deeply as I can with two horses, in 

 the centre of each furrow just made by the plough ; and 

 this closes the work till harvest. 



" The crop being carried, I make preparations at once 

 for sowing. I first lightly horse-hoe and clean the fur- 

 rows ; then plough close to each stubble, casting the earth 

 back again into the centre. There are thus two furrows 

 in each interval, and these I subsoil, which leaves the whole 

 of the land intended for the crop in a hollow pulverized 

 condition. But, though wheat loves a mellow bed, it 

 loathes a soft one. I therefore consolidate the soil with 

 the double clod-crusher, which takes two beds at once, the 

 horse walking on the stubble in the centre. This being 

 done, I wait till near the middle of September for the rains, 

 if it may be, to perfect the culture. 



" I should be glad to have your close attention while I 

 now describe the sowing, because, upon the accuracy of this 

 process depends not only the goodness and fulness of the 

 crop, but the great pleasure of, perhaps, a daily inspection 

 of true lines and even vegetation of this beautiful plant, for 

 ten months in the year. All machinery for sowing, besides 

 the single-hand dibble, I have long discarded. I reject 

 even Sigma' s admirable Planter, which I hear is so effec- 

 tive, believing all to be comparatively unsafe and inefficient ; 

 for, with the hand dibble, with the right hand dibbling 

 and the left dropping the grain, / can see the seed de- 



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