52 THE SOIL OF THE FARM. 



On lea ground the furrow is usually eight to ten inches 

 in breadth by five to seven in depth. The medium depth 

 of good plowing is six or seven inches. Shallower 

 plowing is often inevitable on thin soils, while on deep 

 land the stubble furrow may be ten inches or more in 

 depth. 



The term ^^feering" is applied to the commencement 

 or opening of a land or ridge; and the process varies 

 according to the state of the land to be plowed. On 

 lea ground, as also on stubble land, there is generally an 

 old furrow to go by, in which case two shallow furrow- 

 slices are then turned, the one against the other; and 

 along each side of this commencement the plowing 

 moves. On turnip land, or where there is no old furrow 

 to turn the first furrow-slices into, two furrows are thrown 

 out, and then turned lightly in as before. The plowing 

 goes on in this direction, the horses always turning to 

 the right-about at the end of the furrows until half of 

 the land or ridge is plowed. The plowing so far has 

 been what is technically called •' gathering." At this 

 stage, however, a second feering is commenced, and the 

 same order followed until another half land has been 

 gathered. Thus, if the distance between the two feerings 

 was ten yards, five yards would be gathered in each case, 

 and five yards of unplowed land still lie between them. 

 In order to plow out this, the plowman now alters his 

 course, and turns ahvays to the left-about at both ends, 

 laying furrow after furrow towards the inside of each 

 feering, until the two plowed lands meet. This is known 

 as ^^ casting," '' cleaving," or '^splitting." On all but 

 lea ground the open furrows ultimately left are usually 

 turned in by running the plow once or twice back ui)on 

 the last turned furrows. After this, the seed harrows 

 take out all traces of the open furrows, and leave the 

 land entirely level. 



I( is, in t^onic districts, a common practice to move only 



