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SOD 



to turn the fod or turf as a plough turns the furrow-dice, 

 thus becoming literally a breaft-plough ; a name which has 

 probably been given to the implement in this ftate, and con- 

 tinued to be applied to the fpade or (hare after the mould- 

 board WIS laid afide. 



It is added, that in working this tool, the labourer pro- 

 ceeds without flopping to divide the fods into fhort lengths ; 

 this part being done by women and children, who follow to 

 break the turfs mto length-^, and fet the pieces on edge to 

 dry. The price for " fpading" is about three halfpence a 

 fquare perch, of eighteen feet, or i6s. or i']s. a itatnte acre. 

 Tormcrly, it is probable, this inllrument was much ufed, 

 but at prefent it appears to be chiefly in the hands of fmall 

 farmers. 



It is dated, that the inilrument at prefent ufed for fepa- 

 rating the fpine or graify tiyf from the foil, by farmers in 

 general, is the common team-plough, with fome little alter- 

 ation in the fize and form of the fliare, according to the 

 fancy or judgment of the farmer or his ploughman, there 

 being two different ways of performing the operation. The 

 one is termed " veiling," the other " flvirtiiig," or " fkir- 

 winking." In that for veiling, the fliare is made wide, with 

 the angle or outer point of the wing or tin turned upward 

 to feparate the turf entirely from the foil. But in that for 

 Jhirting, the common one is ufed, hut made perhaps fome- 

 what wider than when it is ufed in the ordinary operation of 

 ploughing. And that in this mode of ufing the plough, 

 little more than half the fward is pared off, turning the part 

 raifed upon a line of unmoved turf; as in the operation of 

 ribbing, rice-balking, raftering, or half-ploughing. The 

 paring of turf in this cafe is from one to two inches thick 

 on the coulter margin, decreafing in thicknefs to a thin 

 feather edge, by which it adheres to the unmoved fward. 

 And after having lain fome time in this ftate to rot, or grow 

 tender, it is pulled to pieces with rough harrows drawn 

 acrofs the lines of turf ; and having lain in this rough Itate 

 until it be fufficiently dry, it is 'oruifed with a roller, and 

 immediately harrowed with light harrows, walking thehorfes 

 one way, and trotting them another, to fhake the earth out 

 more effeftually from among the roots of the grafs ; going 

 over the ground again, and perhaps again, according to the 

 leafon, and the judgment of the manager, until moft of the 

 earth be difengaged. The " beat" of fragments of turfs 

 being fufficiently dry, is gathered into heaps of five or fix 

 bufhels each ; either with the " drudge," firll into rows, and 

 then drawing it along the rows into heaps ; or is pulled to- 

 gether with long-toothed hand-rakes, adapted to the pur- 

 pofe. The former is more expeditious, and requires fewer 

 hands ; the latter gathers the beat cleaner, freer from earth, 

 which is liable to be drawn together by the drudge. The 

 " beat burrows" or heaps hexng rounded, and (hook up light 

 and hollow, a wifp of rough flraw, a large handful, is thrufl, 

 double, into the windward fide of each heap ; and a number of 

 heaps being thus primed, a match or flambeau is formed, with 

 " reed" or ftraight unthrafhed llraw, one end of which being 

 lighted, it is applied in fuccefTion to the loofe ragged ends of 

 the wifp of flraw, which readily communicate the fire to the 

 heaps. The centre of the heap being cowfumed, the out- 

 ikirts are thrown lightly into the dimples or hollows, and the 

 heaps rounded up, as at firft, continuing to right up the 

 burrows, until the wholeof the beat be confumcd, or changed, 

 by the aftion of the fire. And the produce of the firfl fkirting 

 being burnt and fpread over the furface, the operation is 

 fomctimes repeated by running the plough acrofs the Hues 

 of Uie firft fkirting ; thus paring off the principal part of 

 the fpine ; again dragging, rolling, harrowing, colledling, 

 and burning, as in the former operation. This is a procef$ 



of very great importance in the fyltem of Devonfhire huf- 

 bandry, and by which vaft advantages and improvements 

 have been effefted. 



The praftice is not now, however, had fo much recourfe to 

 as formerly, probably on account of its having been carried 

 to too great a length in fome cafes, and improper modes of 

 cropping having been purfued after it in others ; but where 

 well Hiiderltood, it is flillan excellent method of preparation 

 in many inftances and lituations of land. The great advan- 

 tages of it feem to confift in the redudion and diminu- 

 tion, which it fo readily affords to the more fliff, adhefive, 

 tenacious, clayey forts of foils j and the quick, certain, 

 and effeftual manner in which it brings the inert and ufe- 

 lefs vegetable matters of them, into more proper ftates for 

 the purpofe of fupporting plants, in the way of manures, 

 as crops. 



It is moft likely that this praclice will be the moft bene- 

 ficial in all fuch foils as contain an over-proportion of dead 

 fibrous vegetable matter, or which lofe from about one- 

 third to one-half of their weight by burning ; and in all 

 fuch as contain their earthy conftituent parts in a finely re- 

 duced ftate of divifion, fuch, for inftance, as ftrong clays, 

 marles, and fome other fimilar kinds : but that in light, 

 coarfe, fandy, and rich foils of other qualities, which con- 

 tain proper proportions of earthy matters in their compo- 

 fition ; and in every cafe where the ftrufture and qualities 

 of them are in their prefent flates properly loofe, and the 

 organizable matters in them properly and to a fufficient ex- 

 tent foluble, this praiSice cannot be employed with fuccefs, 

 though it is fometimes attempted upon them. The filice- 

 ous poor fandy foils muft always, it is fuppofed, be greatly 

 hurt by it, as is evident from the praAical refults upon fuch 

 lands. 



It is not improbable, but that in numerous cafes it may 

 have failed, in confequence of over-burning the turf, or 

 fome other mifmanageraent in the praftice, as there may, 

 by fuch means, be too great a diflipation and wafte of fome 

 certain fubftances and matters, which are in their nature 

 and properties not only neceflary, but highly conducive to 

 the fertility and improvement of the foil or land. That 

 carbon, or the refufe of burnt vegetable matters, is of thi? 

 nature, there can now be no doubt, as the decompofition of 

 fuch fubftances has fully fhtwa it. This material may, 

 therefore, be too much carried off and deftroyed in burn- 

 ing the turf of lands, either by co'mbining too freely with 

 the oxygen of the furrounding atmofphere, in confequence 

 of too great a heat being kept up in the operation, and be 

 thereby loft in the form of carbonic acid gas ; or by com- 

 bining in too free a manner with certain proportions of hy- 

 drogen, fupplied by the vegetable matter in confequence of 

 the increafed heat, and by this means furnifhing a fort of 

 oleaginous fluid, which is dilfipated in large quantities witli 

 great rapidity, when a confiderable extent of furface is ex- 

 pofed to the air of the atmofphere, during the time of 

 burning the turf. It is therefore evident, on thefe as well 

 as other accounts, that a flow dull fmothering fire, and as 

 fmall an expofure to the open air as pofTible, are both cir- 

 cumftances particularly neceffary to the proper effeft and 

 fuccefs of this praAice in many cafes, if not in all ; as 

 when thcle and fuch hke circumflances are not well attended 

 to and properly regulated, the afhes and other matters 

 which are produced, will be, in a great meafure, deprived 

 and deftitute of thofe fertilizing and enriching qualities and 

 properties, which are fo receflary aad effential to fubftancei 

 of this kind. See Parixo and Burning. 



Snn-Drain, that fort of drain which is formed and con- 

 ftrutted either wholly, or in the greateft part, of the fods 



dug 



