[ 245 J 



The foil of the fields in queftion is ftrong, 

 deep, and found, a mixture of clay and 

 gravel, with many large ftones, tough and 

 difficult to work ; they had been in tillage 

 time immemorial, never crofs-ploughed, 

 and four exhaufting crops taken, to one ill 

 managed fallow, lime conitantly laid on as 

 manure, in large quantities, which had in- 

 creafed the natural tenacious quality of the 

 foil to fuch a degree, as to require uncom- 

 mon fa-ength, both of team and tackle, to 

 get through it. With fuch m.anagement, 

 it is needlefs to tell you, the land was over- 

 run with weeds ; thofe even v/ere fo ftunted, 

 as evidently to demonftrate its impoverilhcd 

 Hate. The ftubble had been injudiciouHy 

 broke up, in a wet feafon, in fpring, and a 

 fecond ploughing in Aiignjl^ ferved only to 

 tumble huge and unbroken clods from one 

 fide of the furrow to another : This, Sir, 

 was the firfl: fummer fallow you heard of, 

 and under thefe circumilances I entered at 

 Michaelmas 1759. 



As foon as harrows could be of fervice, 

 very heavy ones were employed, and the 

 land laid up in ridges for the vs-^inter ; in 

 1 760, they veere exceedingly well ploughed, 

 in dry weather in February^ and well 

 vvTought, by a good ploughman fent from 

 hence, till Midjummer \ when, though five 

 times ploughed, and 17 times harrowed, I 

 ftill found them foul, and far from fine ; fo 

 R 3 that 



