NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 155 



form the new ridges, which is not neceflary ; 

 but is a real injury to the crop, if one of 

 thefe plough ings is reckoned to be as ad van* 

 tageous a> a horfe-hoeing, which xvas the cafe 

 here ; for it appears by the defer iption, that 

 this land was horfe-hoed but three times for 

 each crop, viz. firft, by turning a fmall fur- 

 row from the rows of corn on each fide; 

 next, by deepening thefe furrows, turning 

 the earth ftill from the corn ; and, laft of all, 

 ploughing the earth back to the ridges. Now 

 though thefe operations were very ufeful and 

 advantageous to the crop, the land did not 

 receive the full benefit of expofure, fo much 

 as it does by four ho He- hoe ings, twice from 

 and twice towards the ridges : for thefe 

 fhould be of a good depth, and anew furface 

 is at each hoeing expofed to the atmofphere ; 

 by which means, the oftcner a new furface is 

 expofed to the atmofphere, at proper intervals 

 of time, the more will the land and crop be 

 improved : but, if time is not allowed for the 

 expofure, and the earth is immediately 

 ploughed back, without allowing it time to 

 lie expofed to the air, it will not be improved 

 by fuch fecond ploughing, any further than 

 twice |^ loughing may be an advantage to land, 

 by breaking and pulverizing it more than 

 once ploughing. Whence it happened that 

 this circuroftance was not attended to here, 

 docs not appear in Sir Digby's letters ; though 

 he was acquainted with the benefits of expo- 

 lure, 



