chap. I.] STIRRING THE SOIL. 15 
a small wheel-barrow* which may be wheeled 
to the place required* and filled and emptied 
as often as may be found convenient; or the 
ground may be divided into narrower strips. 
It must also be observed* that as a spitful of 
earth taken up obliquely will be seldom 
found enough to loosen the soil to a proper 
depth* a second or even a third should be 
taken from the same place before the operator 
advances any further along the line. Or the 
whole of each furrow may first be made shal¬ 
low* and then deepened by successive dig¬ 
gings before proceeding to the next furrow. 
It is obvious that the great art in this kind 
of digging is to keep the furrows straight* and 
not to take up more earth in one place than 
in another* so that the surface of the ground* 
when finished* may be perfectly even. To 
keep the furrows straight* the first ought to 
be worked out with the rod and line* and 
every succeeding line should be frequently 
and carefully examined. It is more difficult 
to keep these lines straight than can be at 
first sight imagined; and in proportion as the 
furrow is allowed to become crooked it will 
become narrower* and be in danger of being 
