Farmers, just when they have brought their Land into a Condition fit to be further till’d to much greater Advantage, leave off, supposing the Soil to be fine enough, when, with the Help of Harrows, they can cover the Seed; and afterwards with a Roller they break the Clods; to the End that, if a Crop succeed, they may be able to mow it, without being hinder’d by those Clods: By what I could ever find, this Instrument, call’d a Roller, is seldom beneficial to good Husbands; it rather untills the Land, and anticipates the subsiding of the Ground, which in strong Land happens too soon of itself[36]. [36] This Injury the Roller does, is only when tis used to press down the Earth after the Seed is sown; and is the greater, if Land be moist; but the Rolling of it in dry Weather, when ’tis to be immediately plow’d up again, is the most speedy Way to pulverize the Soil; and the Harrow is then very useful in pulling up the Clods, to the End that the Roller may the better come at them to crush them. But more to blame are they, who neglect to give their Land due Plowing, trusting to the Harrow to make it fine; and when they have thrown in their Seed, go over it twenty Times with the Harrows[37] till the Horses have trodden it almost as hard as a Highway, which in moist Weather spoils the Crop; but on the contrary, the very Horses, when the Earth is moist, ought all to tread in the Furrows only, as in plowing with a Hoe-Plough they always do, when they use it instead of a common Plough. [37] _Nam veteres Romani dixerunt male subactum Agrum, qui satis Frugibus occandus sit._ _Sed ut compluribus Iterationibus sic resolvatur vervactum in Pulverem, ut nullam vel exiguam desideret Occationem, cum seminaverimus. Col._ Lib. 2. Cap. 4. CHAP. VI. _Of_ HOEING. Hoeing is the breaking or dividing the Soil by Tillage, whilst the Corn or other Plants are growing thereon. It differs from common Tillage (which is always perform’d before the Corn or Plants are sown or planted) in the Times of performing it; ’tis much more beneficial; and ’tis perform’d by different Instruments. Land that is before Sowing tilled never so much (tho’ the more ’tis till’d the more it will produce) will have some Weeds, and they will come in along with the Crop for a Share of the Benefit of the Tillage, greater or less, according to their Number, and what Species they are of.