4803.] Deseription of. Mr. Cooke's Patent Horse-Hoe. 231

Oue great benefit of hoeing is, that it keeps plants moist in dry weattier, the advantage ot which to their growth is easily Seven. This good office it performs on a double account.-- First, as they arte better nourished by hoeing, they require less moisture, and consequently carry, off less; for those plants &ehich receive the greatest increase, having mostterrestial, nou- riehment, carry off the least water, in proportion to their aug- ment, as is proved by Woodward's experiments. Thus barley Of oats being s80wn on a piece of ground well divided by tilläge and dung, will come up and grow well without rain; when the Same grains,'S80wn on another part of th& Same land, not thus dunged, or tilled, will Scarcely come up at all without rain: or if they do, will wait wholly tor the rain, tor their growth and increase.

The horse-hoe procures moisture for the roots of plants, from the dews which fall most in dry weather; and these dews-Seem to be the most enriching of all moisture, as it cotifäins mit a fine black eartb, whieh will Subside from it in Standing, and which zeems fine enough, to be the proper pabulum'or food of plants.

A demonstration that the tilled earth receives an advantage from these dews, which the untilled does not, is this: Dig a hole in'any piece of land, of Such a depth as the plough usually goes to, Il bis with powdered earth, and after a day or two examine the place, and the bottom part of this earth, and be bottom of the hole, will be found moist, while all the rest vf the ground at the Same depth, is dry. Or it a'field be tilled in lands, aud one land be made fine by frequent deep plough- ines, while another is left rough by insufhcient tillage, and the whole field be then ploughed across in dry weather, which has continued long, every fine land will be wrned up moist, and every rough land as dry as powder from top to bottom.

Although bard ground when ihorough!y Soaked with rain, will continue wet longer than fine tIled land adjoming toit, yet this water Serves rather to chill, than to nourishthe plants Standing in it, and to keep out the otber benefits ofvthe at- mosphere; it leaves the ground much harder than before, when it is finally exbaled out of it: and when at lenott th& earth is theu hardevned, it can receive no venelit from any thing less-than a deluge ot rain, which Seldom falls wil the SeasS0Nn of vegetation 18 Over.

As fine hoed ground is not 80 long Soaked with rain, 50 the dews never Sußfer it to become pertectly dry, this appears from the flourishing State of plants in hoed ground, while others near them, but in ground not hoed, are Starved for want of nourichwent:"The common opinion is agaihst this, but ob- Servation proves the error of the common opinion; the vulgar are guided by tbis, however, and will not hoe their ground in dry weather, tor fear ot leiting in Le draught, as they ealkäts