188
ON THE LIVE-STOCK
rent ploughings. When sufficiently pulverized, and all theroot-weeds repeatedly gathered, and burnt or removed, theland must be formed into drills of from 28 to 30 incheswide, dung must be carted on, and immediately spread in thehollow between every two ridgelets, which are then split openor reversed to cover the dung ; and the new r -formed ridgeletsabove the dung must be sown so speedily, that the ploughshould never be half a dozen of ridgelets before the drill-barrow. A great deal has been said of the expedition of theNorfolk farmers at this season; and it may therefore be al-lowable to add, that upon the light soils of Roxburghshireit is quite common, in the months of May and June, for apair of horses to give a clean ploughing, with a furrow nineinches wide, to one acre and a half daily; and to form theridges from 28 to 30 inches wide, on double that extent,—notfor a few days, but during the whole of these two months,and without any change of hoi-ses. In some instances, a manand a pair of horses have continued for a week or two toplough two acres a-day, and ridge four; but this exertion wascertainly too severe.
II. The number of acres that may be cultivated by onepair of horses, must depend upon the course of crops whichthe nature of the soil prescribes as the most advantageous jupon the situation of the farm with regard to markets, manure,and fuel; and also upon the circumstance of a threshing-mill being worked by horses, or by some other power. Itwould lead to too minute and tedious a discussion, to attemptcalculations applicable to these different and somewhat inde-finite circumstances; it may be sufficient to state what is con-sidered a fair average on farms under a regular course of ma-nagement.
1 • On clay lands, cultivated according to a six years’ courseof, 1. Summer-fallow; 2. Wheat; 3. Clover and rye-grass;4. Oats; 5. Beans; and, 6. Wheat; 40 Scotch, or a littlemore than 50 English acres, may be equal to the labour of