JUDGES. 



Total for once ploughing, &c. 

 The fame five times more repeated 



O 12 



3 2 



d 



6 

 6 



Total expence of levelling by plough and / 

 harrow - - - - - - J 



Total expence of levelling by the tpade o 1 8 3 



Difference 



2 16 



But another method praetifed by Mr. Paterfon of Caftle- 

 huntley is, according to Dr. Robertfon, firlt to open up 

 with the fpade a trench of about ten feet broad, from end 

 to end of the field, in the fame direction that the ridges are to 

 be made. The upper furface of the ten-feet trench is laid 

 upon one fide, to be removed afterwards. Then the under 

 foil of this trench is levelled and dreffed by the fpade and 

 wheel-barrow, or carts, if neceflary, at the fame time giving 

 the lan'd a gentle fall at both ends, to enable the water to run 

 off in the furrows towards the main drains. When this 

 under foil has got its proper fhape, he marks off another ten- 

 feet trench, and with the fpade throws the upper foil of the 

 fecond trench on the new-formed under foil of the firil trench, 

 fo as to cover it completely and equally : and fo on through 

 the whole field. The upper foil of the firit trench was 

 carried round in carts, and laid on the under foil of the lalt 

 trench. The appearance of the field was then regular, 

 rifing in the middle and falling at both ends. He recom- 

 mends ridges eighteen feet wide. The whole expence is 

 fuppofed to be 8/. an acre. And it is obferved in the third 

 volume of the Farmer's Magazine, that ridges in enclofed 

 lands are capable of being llraightened with profit, or at 

 lead without lofs, by wearing down the high ridges by the 

 preceding crops, fo as not to leave too much to the fallow, 

 which is by turning one field at lead into turnip or fallow 

 every year until the whole is gone over. For as the land is 

 ploughed and harrowed over and over in all directions, until 

 it is brought to a clofe fine mould, the ridges may then be 

 laid off jult as the farmer pleafes, without any lofs. But 

 that in Heightening without this previous operation, the 

 lofs cannot be calculated. The advantages are therefore 

 obvious to every man. 



A writer in the fifth volume of the fame work alfo ob- 

 ferves, that in wet clayey foils, where the operation is 

 undoubtedly molt difficult to execute, he has accomplifhed 

 the bufinefs with facility in this way. On dry foils, very 

 little judgment or flail is required to do it, with fafety to the 

 ground, and advantage to the occupier. He ftates, that in 

 1 794 he fallowed and ltraightened a field of about thirty acres, 

 which had been oats the preceding year. The foil was a 

 wet clay, and the ridges were very unequal in breadth, from 

 ten to thirty feet, intermixed with butts or guffets, which are 

 always detrimental to fuch lands, as they occalion the ploughs, 

 &c. to turn often upon the other ridges, by which means 

 the prints or marks of the liorfes' feet are left unfilled up. 

 The firll operation conlilted in cleaving down the ridges. 

 The field was then ploughed acrofs, and thoroughly har- 

 rowed ; but before the broad ridges could be brought to a 

 level, ieveral ploughingo were iiceeffary, which were ac- 

 cordingly given. The feafon, however, was far advanced 

 before thefe neceflary operations could be effected ; and, as 

 lime could not at this time be applied with advantage, lie 

 was under the necefiity of laying it up in heaps, in an ad- 

 jacent grafs field, fo as it might be expeditiously laid <>n 

 whenever the field was llraightened. The nextconfider.i! ion 

 was, to form the ridges in fuch a manner as to prevent water 

 4roui ftaguating upon the ground. With this view, he run 



them partly eaft and welt, and partly north and luuth, 

 as the level would admit. When the ridges were thus formed 

 and gathered up, the lime was applied, and a good crofs- 

 harrowing given, in order to fill up the furrows. And it 

 being now the latter end of October, and the weather very 

 wet, he thought it advantageous, in giving the feed furrow, 

 to yoke the horfes in line, and not a-breaft, as is the ufual 

 practice. The whole field was fown on the 6th and 7th of 

 November, and the braird appeared about the beginning 

 of December. The weather having been wet for fome days 

 after the wheat was (own, it appeared rather thin in March, 

 but always retained a dark green colour. It improved much 

 during the fummer months ; and at harvell, turned out as 

 good a crep as ever he law upon fuch poor wet foil, the 

 produce per acre being from thirty-two to thirty-four Win- 

 chefter bulhels of good marketable grain. Next year he 

 ploughed the field again, and fowed one half with oats, and 

 the other half with peas, both which were as good crops as 

 could be expected. Perhaps it may be thought that he 

 mould have fown grafs feeds among the wheat ; but it is his 

 opinion, that when ridges have been altered, a fecond fal- 

 lowing is neceflary before the field can be profitably laid down 

 to grafs. Lalt year he llraightened a field in the above- 

 mentioned way, which has anfwered his expectations to the 

 full. It was fown with grafs feeds, which at prefent 

 promife well. He concludes by obierving, that the ad- 

 vantages refulting from the practice of ftraightening ridges 

 are obvioufly many and great. More work is performed 

 both by plough and harrows, and to better purpofe, in 

 a given fpace of time : much feed too is faved ; for when 

 the ridges are at or below eighteen feet in breadth, which 

 they ought never to exceed, two calls will fuffice : whereas, 

 in their former Hate, three, or even four calls, will be necef- 

 fary in fome parts, and in others one will be too much. 

 Straightening ridges, and making them all of one fize, alfo 

 greatly furthers harvelt work, as it is well known, that 

 (hearing is more expeditioufly performed upon them, than 

 upon thofe that are unequal with one another, or fuch as 

 are broad at one end and narrow at the other. The lalt, 

 though not the leaft advantage, which lie (hall notice at pre- 

 fent, is, that wheat is not fo apt to canker upon ftraight as 

 upon crooked ridges. He will not now inquire how this 

 comes to be the cafe ; but leave it to the confideration of 

 thofe who delight in abllract philofophical refearches : it is 

 luflicient for him to be allured, from experience, that it is fo. 

 The bufinefs of ftraightening and levelling ridges, in many 

 fituations, certainly demands much more attention than 

 it '•-.as hitherto met with by the farmer and land proprietor. 



But befides thefe modes of ridging, which are neceflary 

 in laying out lands for the purpofe of tillage, there are others 

 that become requilite in confequence of tlie growth of par- 

 ticular forts of crops, and the particular methods of huf- 

 bandry by which they arc cultivated. Thus we have 

 one, two, and three, or more bout ridges, according as the 

 crops are grown to molt advantage, on one or other of thefe 

 forts of fmall ridges, or as they fuit the different forts 

 of tools by which they arc put into the ground. Some 

 other local modes likewife occur in tillage dlftricl , of form- 

 ing fmall ridges, for the cultivation of different kinds ef 

 crops. See Tillage. 



Ridges, in Ganhaing, portions of ground laid up by 

 means of the fpade in a narrow Hnp, to the height ot one, 

 two, or more teet, for the purpofe of receiving the benefit 

 of frofis and the influence of the atmofphere, and thereby 

 become more mellow, light, and friable, as well as more 

 fertile and productive. See Riuc.isg. 



RlDGE-Wer/, in Agriculture, that lortof tillage which it 



executed 



