208 THE PRACTICE OF THE 



r 



footings, and directed fo many to be given 5 

 and when he had reduced his ridges from fix 

 feet broad to four feet eight or nine inches, 

 he found four fuch hoeings were fufficient to 

 nourim the crop, and enrich the land for the 

 fucceeding crop : but direcls, that when the 

 hoer finds, by a decreafe in his crops, that the 

 land had not been Sufficiently improved the 

 preceding Icafon, he mould hoe it oftener, or 

 give the rows a dreffing of fine manure about 

 the month of February ; neither of which was 

 done here, though the crop evidently declined. 

 Yet it was reafonable to have followed the di- 

 rections of the father of the New Hufbandry, 

 who had long experience in it : for no novice 

 in this Hufbandry fhould rafhly depart from 

 the rules laid down, from experience, by fo 

 able a cultivator. The examples above given 

 are a fufficient confirmation of the principles 

 of this Hufbandry, and cannot be invalidated 

 by the ill fuccefs of thofe who depart from 

 the eftablifhed rules of this culture. 



I have been particular in reciting this mif- 

 carriage. Mr. Baker afted in a public ca- 

 pacity, was a very accurate experimenter, and 

 had iucceeded admirably in railing fingle crops 

 of different forts ; and it was a misfortune that 

 he deviated from approved rules in the culture 

 of drilled Wheat, a plant of fo general ufe ; 

 his being fo fanguine of luccefs (before he 

 had pradlifed this culture), as appeared from 

 the calculation he had published, and referred 



to 



