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that seems necessary, that all moisture may have a ready exit.In every place where water is expected to lodge, such as dishesor hollow places in the field, cross or oblique furrows arc drawnby the plough, and their intersections carefully opened intoeach other by the spade. Wherever it appears necessary,cross cuts are also made through the head-ridge9 into theditches with a spade, artd every possible attention is exerted,that no water may stagnate in any part of the field. Uponthe accuracy of these several operations, the efficacy of thesucceeding fallow very materially depends; as stiff clay-land,which has been drowned with wetness during winter andspring, can hardly be brought into good tilth by the subse-quent steps of the fallow process; while the most stubbornclay, if properly laid up by the winter ploughing, and securedfrom wetness by judiciously disposed water-furrows, worksafterwards with a degree of mellowness resembling free loam.
In the state in which it is laid by this first ploughing, thefallow land remains all winter, to receive the influences of theweather, by which the soil acquires considerable tenderness,to the great facilitation of the subsequent work. This mel-lowness is probably occasioned by the freezing of water con-tained in the soil, which necessarily bursts open the tenaciousclods, and enables them to be more easily broken into tilthafterwards. As soon as the spring-seed time is over, the fal-low land is again ploughed end-long. If formerly split, it isnow ridged up ; if formerly laid up in gathered ridges, it issplit or cloven down. It is then cross-ploughed; and afterlying till sufficiently dry to admit the harrows, it is harrowedand rolled repeatedly, and every particle of the vivacious rootsof weeds brought up to view carefully gathered by hand intoheaps, and either burnt on the field or carted oft' to the com-post midding. The fallow is then ridged up, which places itin a safe condition in the event of bad weather, and exposesa new surface to the harrows and roller ; after which the weedsare again gathered by hand, but a previous harrowing is ne-cessary. It is afterwards ploughed, harrowed, rolled, and ga-thered as often as may be necessary to reduce it into fine