RIDGES. 



out fields are fo confiderable, as to be worth purchafing if 

 it fhould even be at confiderable expence. But the lofs that 

 is fultained at the beginning by this mechanical mode of le- 

 velling ridges, if they are of confiderable height, is fo very 

 •rreat, that it is, perhaps, doubtful if any future advantage 

 can ever fully compenfate it. On thefe grounds he rejefts 

 the ufe of machinery in thefe operations, and recommends 

 the method defcribed below as being more efficacious and 

 fuccefsful. There have, however, of late been many valu- 

 able machines contrived for the purpofe of accomplifhing 

 the work in an eafy and cheap manner, and which have been 

 found to anfwer in practice. An implement of this fort has 

 been defcribed under the head machine. See Machine Land 



Levelling. 



But where the lands are of the clayey, loamy, or tena- 

 cious wet quality, there is much greater difficulty, as well 



the plough lias made in going, let him then go and finirh in 

 the fame manner his own portion of the furrow which the 

 plough makes in returning. In this manner each man per- 

 forms his own ta(k through the whole field, gradually railing 

 the old furrows as the old heights are deprelled. 



And the old furrow ought to be raifed to a greater height 

 than the middle of the old ridges, fo as to make allowance for 

 the lubiiding of that loofe earth. And the operation is thus 

 finilhed at once. He recommends the making of thefe tem- 

 porary or crofs ridges 40 or 50 yards broad at leaft : for 

 although fome time will be loft in turning at the ends of the 

 broad ridges, the advantage that is reaped by having few 

 open furrows is more than fufficient to counterbalance this 

 lofs : and in order to moderate the height that would be 

 formed in the middle of each of thefe great ridges, it will 

 always be proper to mark out the ridges, and draw the 



as greater attention required, in levelling down and chang- furrow that is to be in the middle of each, fome days before 

 mg the forms of the ridge«, as it frequently happens that in 

 fuch foils, after the earth from the crowns has been removed 

 in order to render them level, a coarfe, unfriendly, ftiff foil 

 is brought up, as has been feen above, that requires a great 

 lencrth of time and much amelioration to bring into a ftate 

 capable of fupporting good crops of any fort of grain. In 

 thefe cafes and forts of foils, in the Heightening and bring- 

 ing down the ridges on the coarfe lands in the northern 

 parts of the ifiand, the author of the Perth Agricultural 

 Report advifes it as proper to begin the operation by re- 

 moving the made or ameliorated foil on the crown of the 

 ridge to one fide, which may, he thinks, be done by two 

 or three ploughings in one direction, turning the furrow al- 

 ways one way. This is eafier than doing it with the fpade. 

 Then fuch a quantity of the buried foil may be cait with 

 the fpade from the crown of the ridge, as will fill up 

 the furrows at pleafure ; and, laltly, the ameliorated foil 

 maybe fpread over the furface of the whole. If it is not 

 thought enough to fave the ameliorated foil on the crown 

 of the ridge alone, firlt one fide of the ridge may be taken, 

 and then the fame procefs repeated on the other ; by which 

 means almoft all the wrought foil may be kept on the fur- 

 face. A good fummer fallow and a hearty dofe of lime, and 

 the mixture of wrought mould, will reanimate the new foil, 

 and reftore its vegetative power to its primitive ftate ; and a 

 very few feafons will naturalize the whole foil, while the 

 farmer has the advantage of ftraight ridges, moderately raifed. 

 Some, however, think that this bufinefs may be belt per- 

 formed by the fpade, though it is now obvioufly impoffible 

 in many fituations from the valtly increafed expence of 

 labour. Where this mode is to be employed, it is advifcd 

 by Dr. Anderfon, in his Effays on Agriculture and Rural 

 Affairs, to let a number of men be collected, with fpades, 

 according to the extent of work, and then fet a plough to 

 draw a furrow directly acrofs the ridges of the whole field 

 intended to be levelled. Divide this furrow into as many 

 parts as labourers, allotting to each a ridge or two, more 

 or lefs, according to the number and height of the ridges, 

 and other circumftances. Let each of the labourers have 

 orders, as foon as the plough has pafied that part affigned 

 him, to begin to dig in the bottom of the furrow that the 

 plough hzsju/l made, about the middle of the fide of the 

 old ridge, keeping his face towards the old furrow, working 

 backward till he comes to the middle of the old ridge, 

 going deeper as he advances, fuitable to the height he has 

 to bring down ; then let him turn towards the other furrow, 

 and repeat the fame on the other fide of the ridge, fo as to 

 leave the bottom of the trenc-h he has thus made acrof6 the 

 ridge, entirely level, or as nearly fo as poffible. When he 

 has finilhed that part of the furrow allotted to him, which 



you collect your labourers to level the field, to prevent any 

 hurry or lofs of labour in the future operation of levelling. 

 The field will thus be reduced at once to a proper level, and 

 the rich earth that formed the furface of the old ridges 

 will Hill be kept on the furface of the field to be formed 

 into new ridges. And the fame writer adds, that the direc- 

 tion of the ridges, as noticed before, ought to be north 

 and fouth, if the field will permit, by which means the eaft 

 and weft fides of the ridge?, dividing the fun equally between 

 them, will ripen at the fame time. Alfo further, that when 

 the foil is fo wet as to require the railing of the ridges, they 

 ought to be made twelve feet wide, and twenty inches high, 

 and to be preferved always in the fame form, by cqjling, 

 that is, by ploughing two ridges together, beginning at the 

 furrow that feparates them, and ploughing round and round 

 till the two ridges be finifhed. The feparating furrow is 

 indeed raifed a little higher than the furrows that bound 

 the two ridges, but at the next ploughing that inequality is 

 corrected by reverfing the operation, which is ealily done. 



And in regard to the expence of the different methods, the 

 following Itatements are given by the fame writer, which, 

 though far below the prefent price of labour, may furnifh 

 the means of calculation to the improver. Suppofing the 

 price of labour in Scotland to vary in different places from 

 fixpence to one fhilling, and that the medium price be fixed 

 at nine-pence a day ; and that the hire of a plough, with 

 four horfes and two fervants (for fo many, in general, will 

 be requifite to labour properly ground in the condition that 

 this is fuppofed to be in), varies in like manner from three 

 to five fnillings^r yoking, and that the medium price of 

 this be called four fhillings ; in this cafe the comparative 

 expence of levelling, by thefe two different modes, would 

 be as follows. 



Expence of Levelling by Spade. 



For wages to eleven labourers one day, at 



nine-pence each - 



For the hire of a plough 2^ yokings, at four 



(hillings each - 



Total expence of one day's work - 



d. 



o 10 



18 3 



Expence of Levelling by Plough and Harrows 



For two yokings and a half of a plough, as 1 

 before .----- j 



For harrowing ditto, fuppofed at one-fourth ) 

 of the ploughing j 



o 10 



12 6 

 Total 



