The Certainty of a Crop is much to be regarded; it being better to be
secure of a moderate Crop, than to have but a mere Hazard of a great
one. The Farmer who adheres to the old Method is often deceiv’d in his
Expectation, when his Crop at coming into Ear is very big, as well as
when ’tis in Danger of being too little. Our hoeing Farmer is much less
liable to the Hazard of either of those Extremes; for when his Wheat
is big, ’tis not apt to lodge or fall down, which Accident is usually
the utter Ruin of the other; he is free from the Causes which make the
contrary Crop too little.
A very effectual Means to prevent the failing of a Crop of Wheat, is to
plow the pulveriz’d Earth for Seed early, and when ’tis dry. The early
Season also is more likely to be dry than the latter Season is.
1. _The Advocate for the old Method is commonly late in his sowing;
because he can’t fallow his Ground early, for fear of killing the
Couch, and other Grass that maintains his folding Sheep, which_
2. _are so necessary to his Husbandry: And when ’tis sow’d late, it
must not be sow’d dry, for then the_
3. _Winter might kill the young Wheat. Neither can he at that time
plow dry, and sow wet, because he commonly sows under Furrow; that
is, sows the Seed first, and plows it in as fast as ’tis sown. If he_
4. _sows early (as he may if he will) in light Land, he must not sow
dry, for fear the Poppies and other Weeds should grow, and devour his
Crop; and if his_
5. _Land be strong, let it be sown early, wet or dry (tho’ wet is
worst), ’tis apt to grow so stale and hard by Spring, that his Crop
is in Danger of starving, unless the Land be very rich, or much
dung’d: and then the Winter and Spring proving kind, it may not be in
less Danger of being so big as to fall down, and be spoil’d._
6. _Another thing is, that though he had no other Impediment against
plowing dry, and sowing wet, ’tis seldom that he has time to do it
in; for he must plow all his Ground, which is Eight Furrows in Six
Feet;_
7. _and, whilst it is wet, must lie still with his Plough. When he
sows under Furrow, he fears to plow, deep, lest he bury too much of
his Seed; and if he_
8. _plows shallow, his Crop loses the Benefit of deep plowing, which
is very great. When he sows upon_
9. _Furrow (that is after ’tis plowed) he must harrow the Ground
level to cover the Seed; and that exposes the Wheat the more to the
cold Winds, and suffers the Snow to be blown off it, and the Water to
lie longer on it; all which are great Injuries to it._
Our Hoeing Husbandry is different in all of the fore-mentioned
Particulars.
1. We can plow the Two Furrows whereon the next Crop is to stand,
immediately after the present Crop is off.
2. We have no Use of the Fold; because our Ground has annually a Crop
growing on it, and it must lie still a Year, if we would fold it, and
that Crop would be lost; and all the Good the Fold could do to the
Land, would be only to help to pulverize it for one single Crop; its
Benefit not lasting to the Second Year. And so we should be certain
of losing one Crop for the very uncertain Hopes of procuring one the
ensuing Year by the Fold; when ’tis manifest by the adjoining Crops,
that we can have a much better Crop every Year, without a Fold, or any
other Manure.