3 IS
they are thus detailed in a recent publication *} I. By bring-ing up new mould, deep ploughing is peculiarly favourable tothe growth of clover, turnips, beans and potatoes ; and indeed,without that advantage, these crops must diminish in quantity,quality, and value; 2. Deep ploughing is of infinite conse-quence, not only by furnishing more pasture to the roots ofthe plants, but, above all, by preventing the injurious conse-quences of either too wet, or too dry a season. This is amost important consideration ; for if the season is wet, thereis a greater depth of soil for absorbing the moisture, so thatthe plants are not likely to have their roots immersed in wa-ter ; and in a dry season it is still more useful, for in thelower part of the cultivated soil, there is a reservoir of mois-ture, which is brought up to the roots of the plants, by theevaporation which the sun occasions ; 3. By deep ploughingalso, the ground may be more effectually cleared of weeds ofevery description ; 4. By deep ploughing, animal and vege-table manures, which have such a tendency to rise to thesurface, are properly covered, which, is not the case withshallow ploughing, in consequence of which much of thevalue of such manures is lost} and, 5. An intelligent farmer,after pointing out that deep ploughing increases the staple ofthe soil, keeps the roots of the grain from being injured bywetness, and likewise enables the crop longer to resistdrought, adds,—“ I have ever found deep ploughing attended•with good crops, when ridges, shallow ploughed, in the samefield, were but indifferent ” a decisive proof in favour of deepploughing.
$ S .Of ridges and furrows. —In ploughing a field, thefurrow-slices are generally distributed into beds of variousbreadths, according to circumstances, which are called ridgesor lands, and these are divided from each other by open gut-ters or furrows. These last both serve to guide the eye and