Oh! But this was made with Iron, and _Medica_ had, in those Times, an Antipathy to Iron; and after it was sown, the Place must not be touch’d by that Metal; therefore the Seed must not be cover’d with a Plough, nor with Iron Harrows. But if they had made Trials enough, to know that half an Inch was a proper Depth to cover this Seed at, these _Virtuosi_ would have been convinc’d, that it had no less Antipathy to these Instruments, of what _Matter_ soever they were made, if they bury’d it Five or Six Inches deep, which the Plough must do, and the Weight of Iron Harrows in such fine Ground not much less. Had the Plough been all of Wood, the Furrow would have lain never the lighter upon the Seed; and if the wooden Harrows had been loaded with a Weight capable of pressing it down as deep, it would have been no more able to rise, than if it had been buried with Iron Harrows: This _Columella_ seems to be sensible of, when he says, _Rastellis ligneis_; _viz._ That it was not sufficient for them to be made of Wood, unless they were diminutive; for then they were light ones. ’Tis probable the Plough suffer’d none to come up, and the heavy Harrows very few, tho’ perhaps Plants enough, had they calculated what Number were sufficient: But unless the Ground were cover’d with them at first, it seems they had not Patience to wait till the Plants grew large enough, to fill it with a bare competent Number, and thought it not worth while to weed and water, what they fansied to be an insufficient Number. ’Twas expected that the Thickness of the Plants should help to kill the Grass: Yet upon due Observation ’tis found, that when their excessive Numbers have brought a Famine amongst them, they are forc’d to prey upon one another; and tho’ the stronger survive, yet even those are so weaken’d by Hunger, that they become the less able to contend with Grass, whose good Fortune it was, that Superstition would not permit the _Romans_ to interpose, by attacking it with Iron Weapons. I hope these Hints may be improv’d for the Abolition of old Errors, and for the Discovery of new Truths; to the end that Luserne may be planted in a more reasonable Method than has been commonly practis’d: And when the Theory is true, ’tis impossible the Practice should be false, if rightly apply’d; but if it fail of Success, the Event will be a Proof either of a Misapplication, or that the Theory is false.