APPENDIX. 275 



It was cuftomary formerly to let the wheat 

 grow till it was very ripe, as then it makes 

 moft meafure, and parts more freely from the 

 ftraw ; but of late years feveral good fanners 

 cut their wheat Iboner, and while the knots of 

 the draw are green, for fuch wheat looks fait 

 to the eye, handles well and flippery, and 

 coming tboner to market fells at a good price. 

 Wheat, cut before it is dead-ripe, is fmooth, 

 and the grains lie clofein the buihel ; fo that it 

 weighs as much per bumel as wheat that ftands 

 till it is thorough-ripe, but more grains go to 

 fill the bumel, and it is more difficult to 

 threm out clean. Thefe inconveniencies are^ 

 however, anfwered by the advance in price. 

 Cone wheat is not ufually cut till full-ripe. 



Drilled wheat mould be reaped low, that 

 the ftubble may not obftruct the hoeing of the 

 next crop ; it ftands fo fair to be cut, and no 

 weeds, that it is reaped at half the price of 

 broad-cad wheat, and being clean from weeds 

 it is foon fit to be carried home. 



It is ufual to raife the new ridges for the fuc- 

 ceeding crop upon the former intervals, which 

 is alfo moft convenient, becaufe the mould, 

 whereof thefe new ridges are compofed, is in 

 fine tilth, and the new ridges are made at once 

 ploughing. In hoeing the earth up to the 

 ridges the laft time with the hoe-plough, if 

 done as it mould when the earth is dry, fome 

 of the dry mould will be apt to run back into 

 the interval, after the hoe-plough is paft ; and 

 T 2 then 



