ROLLING. 



In rolling and rendering (hoit-grafs pleafure-grounds 

 fmooth and even, it is ufual to go over them, in the iirll 

 place, when they are to be mown, as foon as poflible after 

 i good fall of rain, with a fmall wooden roller, in order to 

 take up and remove the vvorm-calts, and then to follow 

 with the iron one, beginning at one fide and going on in a 

 regular manner over the whole, in a clofe up-and-down di- 

 rection. The rolling, in thefe cafes, is fometimes alfo per- 

 formed for the purpofe of mowing only, which is ;.'. 

 done by the wooden roller, as it clears the grafs in the belt 

 manner ; the iron roller being run over afterwards, when the 

 mown grafs has been removed. 



Rolling Ihould be frequently praftifed in cafes of this 

 nature, in order that the walks, roads, and lawns, may be 

 kept in a neat, proper condition, ami never be differed to 

 run into a ruinous and diforderly ftate. 



Rom. i\c, in Hujbandry, the adtion or operation of draw- 

 ing a roller over the furface of the ground, with the view of 

 breaking down the clods, rendering it more compact, and 

 bringing it even and level ; or for only levelling the lurface, 

 as in grafs-lands. This is a practice that becomes neceffary 

 both upon the tillage and grafs-lands, an J which is of much 

 utility in both forts of husbandry. In the former cafe, it 

 is made life of with different intentions, as for the purpole 

 of breaking down and reducing the cloddy and lumpy parts 

 of the foil in preparing it for the reception of crops. It is 

 alio of great ufe in many cafes of light foils, in rendering 

 the furface more firm, even, and folid, after the feed is put 

 in. I' i Likewife found beneficial to the young crops in the 

 early Ipring, in various inftances. And it is Hated by the 

 author of Practical Agriculture, that in the cafes of iliff, 

 heavy, and adhcfive foils of different kinds, it may frequently 

 be made ufe of with the firft. mentioned intention with very 

 great advantage ; but it mould only be employed when fuch 

 lands are tolerably dry, for when drawn over the ground 

 under the contrary circumftances, little benefit can be af- 

 forded in the way of pulverization, while much mifchief mull 

 be produced by the poaching of the horfes, and the plaltering 

 the earth round the implement. But by ttfing it in the 

 manner juft directed, all the lumpy or cloddy parts of the 

 furface foil may be effectually crufhed and reduced into a 

 fine powdery Itate, lit for the reception of the leed. And 

 that if, in fuch forts of foil, it be applied, in the intervals 

 between the different harrowings, it may contribute much 

 in the fame way, not merely by reducing a great number of 

 the lumps by the preffure that it caufes, but bv forcing otl 

 fo much into the ground that they may be acted upon, and 

 further broken down by the fermentation that mollly takes 

 place in the foil after the land has been Itirred. In all 1 1 it: 

 light and more porous forts of foil very beneficial confe- 

 quences may alfo be derived from this operation by the con- 

 folidation of furface that is thus produced, and the more 

 perfedt retention of moilture, by which the feed, efpei ially 

 it of the fmall kind, is enabled to vegetate more equally, as 

 well er than would otherwife 



be the cafe. It is likewife fuppofed, that, in cafes wh 

 lands have been left rough after ploughing, for the pur] 

 of more effectually deftroying v. .! I, it may be of utility, 

 by being employed b fore the harrows, to give them n 

 power in laying hold of and reducing the foil, and by the 

 pulverization to ids, and the more perfect rel intion 



of mo Itu il , in i mfequence oi the fui 



; rendered more dole- and" compact, the I ! 

 produced more abundantly, and moi deftroyed. It 



is likewife in th I Is, Mr. Donaldfon fays, thai it 



proves fo lughl ! - nefi ial in all cafes where | arc 



lowr I n by the equality and fmoothnefe of furface 



Vox.. XXX. 



that are thereby produced ; and i' obferved by the 



fame writer, that if no other benefit were derived from 

 rolling lands in tillage, than fmoothing the furface, even 

 that in harvell is of material confequence, more cfpecially 

 where the crops are cut down with the fcythe, which is ge- 

 neral in moll of the fouthern diftri6ts of the kingdom, and 

 which the increafing fcarcity ol labourers mull loon, in all 

 probability, introduce into thofe of the north. It is alfo 

 remarked by Mr. Morley, in the fourth volume of Communi- 

 cations to the Board of Agriculture, that old fwand, or grafs- 

 , upon firft breaking up, ftiould always be rolled before 

 dibbling for either wheat, beans, or peafe, as it makes the 

 land more folid, and the grain, when it vegetates, will form 

 a ftronger root. Wheat Ihould always he rolled in the 

 ipring after froft, as it will make the foil adhere more clofely 

 to the roots of the plants, which very much encourages 

 vegetation, and will cauie the ftem to be much ftronger, and 

 the grain will be brought to perfection. Barley 



and oats ihould always be rolled when the blades are about 

 an inch above the ground, if the weather permits ; and 

 turnips fhould be rolled at night, foon after the plants 

 make their appearance, which will be a means of deftroying a 

 great number of (lugs and fnails, that are very deftructive to 

 the young plants. And it is fuppofed by Mr. Somerville, in 

 his Agricultural Survey of Ealt Lothian, that rolling, 

 when conducted in a judicious manner, is highly beneficial, 

 and admits of being much extended, efpecially upon all win- 

 ter crops after that feafon has been fevcre, and without any 

 regard to foils, as both loams and clays, after much naked 

 froft, have their cohefion fo much broken as to leave the 

 plants quite loofe, and almoit without any cltablifhment. It 

 has alfo been ftated, that the rolling of wheat, rye, barley, 

 Sec. with a roller of good length, and half the weight of the 

 common ones above defcribed, may be advantageous in other 

 ways, as it prefl'es down the foil that has been raifed by the 

 froils about the minute ramifications of the attracting veffels 

 or duCts, and augments the quantity of mould upon them 

 by breaking the little lumps of fod ; which, indeed, were 

 very ferviceable in winter by affording flielter, but in fpring 

 will Hill be of greater ufe, by fuch imminution in filling up 

 the fiffures, and preventing, in a great meafure, the ill effects 

 droughts have on light foils, by retaining and filtering rain- 

 water ; whereby the foil imbibes whatever is nutritive, and 

 what is fupcrfluous of the limple fluid only eicapes. 



But it is added, that although thefe are fome of the nrany 

 advantages rolling produces in agriculture, notwithftanding 

 it amounts to no more than mere conjecture, that, m general, 

 rolling corn may do more damage than it can good, if fuch 

 cautions as the following be not carefully attended to ; viz. 

 never to roll corn but in dry frefh weather ; by no means to 

 ufe heavy rollers, nor to roll too early, as before the blades 

 be pretty ftroug, for the wounds that the blades may re- 

 ceive, the roots, being then tender, will be unable ever to 

 r ; nor too late, as, when the ilalks are hardened 

 and grown to any height, for the roller will break them, 

 which injury can hardly be repaired, anel the crap is thereby 

 tly hurt ; that none but light lands are | i be 



rolled with this view, and thofe which hi . ma- 



nured that or the preceding year witli dung only : in li; 

 none but rich, light foils, in ral, ca be improved by 



rolling in this intention; fin' in pOOT lands it oppolci 

 the moll active principles, and in. lias been 



done for the crop by ploughing, &c. It is coniequentlj 



concluded, that the foil, the condition, the growth of the 



corn, the weather, aad the weight ol the roller, are all to 

 lie moll fcrupuloufly regarded: when all coincide, the ad- 

 vantages of rolling may be great ; but u lieu they do not, 

 3 K the 



