After describing how every favourable day should be taken in preparing the land for wheat, beans, oats, potatoes, turnips, tares, or naked fallow, in their respective order, he continues:--
"And when every one of all these objects has been promoted, and there is found little or nothing to do till the burst of spring-work comes, both horses and men may enjoy a day's rest now and then, without incurring the risk of throwing work back; but before such recreations are indulged in, it should be ascertained that all the implements, great and small, have been repaired for work--the plough-irons all new laid--the harrow-tines new laid and sharpened, and fastened firmly into the bulls of the harrows--the harness all tight and strong--the sacks new patched and mended, that no seed-corn be spilt upon the road--the seed-corn thrashed, measured up, and sacked, and what is last wanted put into the granary--the horses new shod, that no casting or breaking of a single shoe may throw a pair of horses out of work for even one single hour--in short, to have every thing prepared to start for work when the first notice of spring shall be heralded in the sky.
"But suppose the contrary of all this to happen; suppose that the plough-irons and harrow-tines have to be laid and sharpened, when perhaps to-morrow they may be wanted in the field--a stack to be thrashed for seed-corn or for horse's corn in the midst of the sowing of a field--suppose, too, that only a week's work has been lost, in winter, of a single pair of horses, and the consequence is, that six acres of land have to be ploughed when they should be sown, that is, a loss of a whole day of six pair of horses, or of two days of three pair--suppose all these inconveniences to happen in the busy season, and the provoking reflection occurs that the loss incurred now was occasioned by trifling offputs in winter. Compare the value of these trifles with the risk of finding you unprepared for sowing beans or spring-wheat. Suppose, once more, that instead of having turnips in store for the cattle, when the oat-seed is begun in the fields, and that, instead of being able to prosecute that indispensable piece of work without interruption, you are obliged to send away a portion of the draughts to bring in turnips, which _must be brought in_, and brought in, too, from hand to mouth, it being impossible, in the circumstances, to store them. In short, suppose that the season of incessant labour arrives and finds you unprepared to go along with it,--and what are the consequences? Every creature about you, man, woman, and beast, are then toiled beyond endurance every day, not to _keep up_ work, which is a lightsome task, but to _make up_ work, which is a toilsome task, but which you said you could easily do, when you were idling your time in a season you consider of little value; and, after all, this toil is bestowed in vain to obtain the end you wish, namely, to prepare your crop _in due season_. You who are inexperienced in the evils of procrastination may fancy this to be an overdrawn picture--even an impossible case; but unfortunately for that supposition, it is drawn from the life. I have seen every incident occur which I have mentioned, both as to work being in a forward and in a backward state."--(Vol. ii. pp. 489, 483.)