12
Implements of Hufbamlry. — Miner—Paring-Ploughs.
a crop of barley or turnips, and under the following fyftem for wheat, and thelabour and expence in the latter cafe, of raking, picking, and bunting weeds,,that the advantages of the trench-plough mufl be greater than is, perhaps, gene,rally fuppofed. There is alfo another confideration of fome importance in this fyf-tem of management, which is, that the ftaple of the foil is increafed in depth,and its parts fo divided and loofened, that the fibres of the roots of the cropare more at liberty to range, and of courfe to take up their proper nourilhment,which mull render it more certain and of better quality. A plough of this kind,with a double lhare, one placed dire&ly over the other, has been much employedby fome good cultivators in the fouthern parts of the kingdom. By this means,one narrow fhallow furrow may be taken off the furface, and another beneath itany moderate depth that may be required ; and it will perform its bufinefs to teninches in depth, as well as only five or fix. It is an highly ufeful tool in puttingin one crop immediately after another; a mode of cultivation which could notindeed be well pra&ifed without it. In this way rye, or other green crops, whichhave great height of Hem, may be turned down without leaving any part of them{licking out in the feams or crevices between the furrows; whatever is turned in be-ing really covered, by which means the furface is of courfe perfectly free fromweeds, and clean for the fucceeding crop of whatever kind it may be*.
The Miner is another plough, which is ufed for opening ground to a greatdepth ; it is made very ftrong, but with a lhare only, not having any mould-board ; it therefore rather loofens than turns up the earth. In deep ItifF foils, wherethe furface mould is good, it may be conveniently employed in the fame furrow af-ter a common plough, in order to ftir the ground to a greater depth. It is in ufe infome of the northern counties ; and Doctor Anderfon mentions it as an implementthat all farmers who have land fuitable for it Ihould have in their poffeffion. It is-an extremely ufeful tool where working deep is neceffary without bringing up theinert under ftratum or fub-foil, as in loofening the ground for carrots, or othertap-rooted plants, and in eradicating the roots of thirties or other weeds which ftrikedeep in the earth.
The Paring-Plough is a neceffary inftrument where the practice of paring andburning is much required, as in bringing into cultivation heath, moor, and otherwafte lands. It is conftructed in fuch a manner that the furface of the ground canbe cut off to any depth, which is an advantage that can fcarcely be obtained by anyother means.
* Annals of Agriculture, vol. x. p, jgo.