274 ^" ^f ^ff^^ ^f ^^'°J ^^^ Growing Ccrns, ^.', Aug- 



Low lying fields, which are at the foot of hills or high ground, 

 and hanging to the eaft, fouth-eaft, or fouth, will often be hurt by 

 frofl, which does not in the lealt atfe£l the higher grounds, or 

 fi-lds hanging to the north or weft. Thefe are not n:Te£led by 

 fogs or vapours rifing out of marOiy ground, as in the cafe of 

 mildews, but from the heat of the fun early in the forenoon. 

 Higher lying fields, cxpofed to the morning fun, are the next in 

 order that will fuller. That thcfe various effects are produced, 

 according to the expofure and fituation, will be evident to all v/ho 

 pay anv attention to the influence of froft upon the ftems or tops 

 of potatoes, winch, being more difcernible from the fudden change 

 of colour, and happening almoft every year, c?.n hardly fail to 

 come under the eye of every obfervcr. 



On the other hand, the fields v/hich will efcape damage 

 from froft, or refiO: it longeft, iire thofe which lye within two 

 or three miles of the fea, or at fuch a diftance as that the fea 

 breezes can, in the morning, drive off the froft, before the heat 

 of the fun has power to hurt. Of this we have had experience 

 in the word of years. The oats, in fuch places, though deficient 

 in weight, were perfcclly fit for feed, and had loll none of their 

 vegetating powers Lands lying to the north or weft, fo as that 

 the high ground to the eallward defends or obllructs the rays of 

 the fun from reaching the crop for a confiderable time tluough 

 the day, are the }aft in the inland parts of the country to be d<i- 

 maged, and will often efcape when all other fields are hurt. In 

 tlie year 1782, the froft was fo fevere, that fcarcely any fituation 

 could prote6t the crop. * In 1 799, the weft and north lying 

 fields, as above defcribed, generally came oft' with very little da-- 

 mage, in comparifon of thole lying to the eaft or fouth. And in 



all 



* Perhaps it was as much owing to ignorance or want of experience 

 in the people, as to the feveriiy of the froft that year, that the feed 

 proved fo abf)rtive. The bell, or earlleft ripened oats, were fown with- 

 out any other inveftlgatlon ; but, except in very early fituation.'., none 

 of them were weighty. Thofe who had none of this kind, rather than 

 fow their ovvn, bought from others. As the feafon adv.inced, thefe 

 were found to he the moft dcfe^ftivc. T'oe lateft and grecneft of the 

 oat.s were then feen fo produce the greatcft number of plants ; fo that 

 Jt was ihe general opinion, at all public meetings, that, had they fown 

 iheir own, they had done much better. This difference, no doubt, 

 arofe from the riorthe:ly expofure of the wca^ Ot^cs, while growIn'j» 

 ^nd their refjftlng t!ie froft in their green ftate. Their fitnefs for feed 

 was not uulvtrfal I fowed part from a field hangjn;^ very much to the 

 weft, which anfwered tolerably well I fowed a part likewife from j^ 

 l:el4 h^^Z ^° ^^'^ fouth : from this there vvao not one flulk produced. 



