t2O THE PRACTICE OF THE 



" tables, no more than animals, can continue 

 " Jong in a ftate of health, without the free 

 *' eiiiovment of air. In a large field, when 

 " the weather is calm, the air remains in a 

 " ftate of ftagnation j whereby the perfpira- 

 " tion of the plants is permitted to remain 

 " too long upon the ears of corn. Hence 

 * c many inconveniences arife to the crop. Oil 

 " the contrary, in the Alternate Hulbandry, 

 '* the air is conftantly in motion; the interme- 

 " diate faUows ferve as funnels to carry it off, 

 " and along with it ah fuperfluous moifture. 



*' In confequence of this freedom of air, 

 " upon which I lay a great ftrels, the ears of 

 " corn are always obferved to be well fed, and 

 " the (talks firm and ftrong. When by fe- 

 " vere weather the corn happens to be laid, 

 " it is thrown upon a clean fallow, where it 

 *' has no chance of being bound down by 

 " weeds. It is confequently fooner raifed by 

 " the current of air v\hich is conftantly paf- 

 ** fmg along the fallows, 

 v *) i uruips, or, when the foil is deep and 

 " fandy, a few carrots or .potatoes, may be 

 " placed upon the intermediate lands. But I 

 * 6 ha\e aKvays found it beft, to keep them as 

 " pcilfcl: fallows. Kvery thing that grows 

 " i kes fomclhing from the foil ; and as cur 

 " land is luppofed to be poor, and not lup- 

 " ported with much manure, we ought not 

 " to fuffer the fmalleft vegetable to take root 



" upon it. 



It the farmer chufes, he may vary his 



46 crops; 



