273 AGRICULTURAL SURVEY

I cannot diſmiſs this ſubje&t without paying a juſt tribute of approbation to that ingenious mechanic and enlightened agriculturift, the Rev. J. CooKeE, whoſe drill-machine, and horſe-hoe are well adapted to the purpoſes for which they are deſigned. Though we cannot accord on the ſubject of the drill-huſbandry, TI muſt give my unqualified aſſent to his general principles reſpe&ting the preparation of land for arable crops; and I verily think, that his inſtruments called the ſcufiler, and ſcarifier, are the beſt contrivances I ever beheld, for the pulverization of the ſoil, and the deſtruítion of weeds.

The uſual ſeed-time for wheat 1s November, but it is frequently ſown after turnips, ſo late as January or February, notwithſtanding which, the crop is ripe and harveſted, in a favourable ſeaſon, by the middle of Auguſt. Coloured peaſe are planted about Candlemas, white pealſe are planted at Lady-day, horſe-beans from Candlemas to Lady-day; oats are ſown in March, barley in April and the beginning

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of May; peaſe are harveſted rather before wheat, barley at the end of Auguſt, oats and beans in September.

Of wheat they generally ſow two buſhels, peaſe four buſhels, beans five buſhels, planted by women with dibbles or fſetting-ſticks promiſcuouſly all over the land, and the crop is ſeldom weeded; aats five buſhels, barley three buſhels and a half per acre,

Of late a few farmers have drilled their beans in rows twenty inches aſunder, horſe-hoeing them; others thirteen

or fourteen inches aſunder, hand-hoeingz the alley, at the I[ar] fe)

to each other, in the beſt part of the field, the broadcaft produced at the rate of ſixty buſhels an acre, the drilled at the rate of ſeventy-two buſhels, yielding a ſuperiority of twelve buſhels per acre in favour of that drilled. R.P. A

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