RIDGES. 



kept perfectly clean and open, to allow a free paffage to the 

 water, the whole would flow to the open dram at the ex- 

 tremity of the field ; and the higher the furrows are, in 

 refpect to this drain, their relative height would make the 

 water flow the fader. Care fliould always be taken that 

 the clods that fall back into the furrows, and dam the water 

 in fuch land, fliould be removed with the ipade. The flo- 

 venlincis of men in this particular circumllance, more fre- 

 quently produces the ftagnation complained of, and all its 

 baneful confequences, than either ridges moderately raifed, 

 or any other caufe. Tins lie confiders as perfectly fatisfac- 

 tory, in refpect to laying out inch lands into ridges in the 

 hrft inflance. But that, in cales in which neither the cir- 

 cumftances of the loil, nor the nature of its iituation, re- 

 quire that the ridges fliould be formed in a particular man- 

 ner, or of any certain breadth, that ot making them about 

 eighteen feet may be the molt fuitable, as they are found to 

 anlwer well in the way of keeping the ground properly 

 dry, and of the moll convenient distentions for turning the 

 teams at the ends in ploughing. And that betides, the 

 feed, where this method is purfued, can ealily be town by 

 one call up and another down ; an operation which, in other 

 circumttances, would be attended with conliderably more 

 labour. That, in the covering of the feed by means of har- 

 rowing, the work is alfo accomplished with more facility 

 and difpatcli, as by employing double implements of this 

 kind, one turn may wholly finiih the bufinefs. And that in 

 the reaping, too, they have advantages, in allowing the num- 

 ber of reapers that are neceflary to work with convenience, 

 and without being in the way of each other. This, though 

 a great advantage in fome cafes, is ot lefs confequence fince 

 the mowing of grain is become more general. 



But it is itated, that wet, clayey, or any ftiff and te- 

 nacious loamy foils, where the under ltratum is clay, fhould 

 be ploughed as much as poflible into ridges of much lefs 

 lize, in order that they may be kept in a ftate of drynefs, 

 fuitable to the growth of the crops that are to be put upon 

 them. Three or four feet, according to the degree of te- 

 nacity and wetnefs, may, in fuch forts of land, be fully 

 fufficient. And it is added, that in the counties of Effex 

 and Hertford, on this fort of wet foils, three feet are found 

 to anfwer the purpofe in a very effectual manner. And that 

 it has been obferved in the Middlefex Agricultural Report, 

 on the authority uf much experience, that their fuperiority 

 over ridges of greater breadths, for taking the water aif 

 without wafhing the land, is incontrovertible. That, in 

 fhort, as there is much variation in lands of thefe kinds, the 

 width and flatnefs of the ridges fliould be increafed as they 

 recede from the nature of clay or clayey loam, and approach 

 that of fand, in order that a larger proportion of moifture 

 may be preferved : while, on the contrary, as they are be- 

 coming more of a clayey quality, they ought to be narrower, 

 and to have a more high and rounded form, that the dif- 

 charge of injurious moifture may be more expeditious. In 

 loamy foils they fliould be either broad and flat, or narrow 

 and round, in lome meafure, according to the degree in 

 which they approach the fandy or clayey foils. And that, 

 in very wet clayey foils, where they red upon a fubfoil of 

 fome porous kind, great advantage in the way of drainage 

 may often be obtained, by linking the furrow.; fo deep, as 

 to reach it. But fome perfons, on thefe forts of clayey 

 foils, fuppofe the beft breadth to be ten or twelve feet, as 



where they are narrower there is much disadvantage, though 



they keep the land drier. Alfo, in lands of the marfliy 

 or fenny kinds, as moftly approaching in fome degree to the 

 nature of thefe, the ridges fliould be made narrow, and ra- 

 ther round in their forms. 

 Voi. XX N 



But that as the principal defect of lands of the fandy kind 

 is that of parting with their moifture too readily, and of 

 courfe becoming quickly in a ftate of too much drynefs for 

 the purpofe of healthy vegetation, it is the mod advifable 

 to plough them into very broad ridges, or even in fome 

 cales quite flat, without the lcaft degree of furrow being 

 made ; as, in this way, the moifture may be more effectually 

 retained in fuch foils, to the great advantage of the crops 

 which are grown upon them. But in the conftrudting of 

 ridges on fuch foils as are of the boggy or molly kinds, 

 fome attention is neceffary in refpect. to their depth, and the 

 proportion of wetnefs that may be prefent ; as where they 

 are thin, and have but little injurious moifture, they may be 

 more broad and flat than where they are deep of mofs, and 

 more retentive of moifture : fix or feven yards may, in 

 general, be the bell. It is obferved, that even in the deeper 

 forts, long experience ha 3 (hewn that, in the firft inflance, 

 it is improper to make them too high or too narrow ; as, in 

 the former cafe, they throw the water off from their fides, 

 without admitting it to penetrate their fubftance, the top 

 ot courfe gets too dry ; while, in the latter, there is a lots 

 of iurface, from too many divifion furrows. The breadths 

 already mentioned are found to be the beft ; and when the 

 improvement is completed, the ridges appear like fegments 

 of wide circles, with a clean well-defined divifion furrow be- 

 tween each of them. The moifture is thus caufed flowly to 

 filtrate through the mols, rendered friable by lime, until it 

 reaches the divifion furrows. It is generally neceffary to 

 clean thefe out before winter, and at the time the crop is 

 fown, until the mofs acquires folidity. This has been fully 

 fhewn in a paper, in the fecond volume of Communications 

 to the Board of Agriculture. See the work. 



And it has been remarked, that ridges in thefe foils are 

 generally formed by the fpade, the workmen beginning 

 nearly in the middle of the part which is to form the ridge, 

 only leaving the fpace of about eighteen or twenty inches, 

 upon which the materials raifed from the trenches on each 

 fide are depolited, fo as to conftitute the crown ; and in this 

 way, digging up and turning over narrow fpits on each fide, 

 the workman proceeds till he comes to the divifion furrows, 

 which are cutout and laid on the fides: in which way, the 

 ridge, when completed, appearing as if done by the plough. 

 And in the deeper moffy loil:, clpecially of the more fpongy 

 kind, it is probable the breadth of the ridges may be in- 

 creafed with advantage, after they have collapfed and be- 

 come fufficiently firm ; as, by fuel', means, they will be more 

 fuitable for being laid down to grafs or fward, for the pur. 

 pofe of pafturage. 



Further, in what refpects the general difpofition of ridges, 

 where there is not a necefiity of giving them any particular 

 direction, either lor the purpole of drainage, or other cir 

 cumftances, they Ihould be formed as much as poffibii 

 the direction of north and louth ; a>, by that means, much 

 advantage may be gained in the crops attaining maturity, 

 and in becoming dry, from their having the more full in- 

 fluence of the iun and wind. And it has been remarked ' v 

 Mr. Marfhall, in his Midland Economy, that tin- (hocks, 

 after grain has been reaped, Ihould be let 1:1 the fame direc- 

 tion, and not have an call and well pofltios ; a8, in this cafe, 

 the (heaves on the north lide are man) days later m being in 

 a proper condition for being conveyed to the llack, than 

 thole 011 the louth. From further experience, he is alio 

 convinced of the bad effects of ridges having an ealt and well 

 direction ; it having been found that corn, on the louth 

 fides of fuch as were not by any means high, (hot into ear, 

 and changed and ripened a week at le .11 earliel than that on 

 the north ; and that at the time ei reaping, (hi wheat Oil 



li the. 



