562 Retrofpcci'ivc view cf Agriculture — Northumhirland'. 



ENGLAND. 



NorthumherJand. 



The year 1 803 hn? been rather fingular in refpe<?i: to weather, lb far 

 as agriculture is affe<?l:ed by it. The froil fct in early in January, and 

 continued until the beginning of March : this froft was for fonie pur- 

 pofes very convenient, as leading manure, &c. but being accompanied 

 "\\ith little fnow, it proved very prejudicial to the winter v;heats. E- 

 ver-green trees and ihrubs fuftered materially from the effe^ls of 

 fome of thefe frofts ; many plantations of iirs were turned brown on 

 the fides expoied to the eafl and fouth, and had all the appearance of 

 having iuffered by fire. The frofi ceafed about the 13th of March, 

 and was fucceeded by remarkable fine, frelh, dry weather, and the 

 Ipring feed was never put in under more favourable circumftances. 

 The weather continued dry and cold through April, May, and be^ 

 f innincr of June, and fo far checked vegetation that the hay crops 

 were very fliort, and the paftures feldom leen barer ; fome fine rains 

 on the 9th, loth, and ilth of June were of ufe to the grais lands, and 

 particularly to the turnips fown about that period ; but the intenle 

 drouoht which immediately fucceeded, and continued through the 

 iummer, difappoinied the rational hopes which the cuUivator had 

 entertained from the uncommon leed time he had been favoured 

 with. 



Upon dry foils, the drought prevented cats and barley from getting 

 to half their ufual length, and in many places they were arreftcd \\\ 

 the (lict blade, and, on the whole, are below an average crop. Beans 

 from the fame caufe were under a fimilar preciicament. One cfilcl of 

 this long continued drought is, that the quality of all kinds of grain 

 is good, particularly wheat, there being few defe^live grains, of courfe 

 it gives well to the bufiiel, and the famples were never file wn in great- 

 er perfection. 



The new variety of oats, called the potatce oat, has been cnltivard 

 here with great avidity for 3 or 4 years ; the crop of this year, I thiiik, 

 will rather check their cultivation on fo extenfive a fcale, as it ap- 

 pears their produce, upon poor foils, is not fo great as if thofe lands 

 had been fown with Blainfiey or Angus oats. 



The cultivution of Ruta Bitga, fecms to be gaining ground in 

 this diftrift, as it appears there is much more land covLicd with them 

 this ye:ur than was ever obferved before ; the great obje6lion hither- 

 to has been their inferior fize to the common turnip, but when 

 it isconfidered, thiit little more than half the quantity will be eaten by 

 flieep, than of common turnip, the objection is removed. The pro- 

 perty of bearing tranfplantation, and their fuperior hardinefs in refiiring 

 frolt, are alio confiderablc recommendations, as well as their being ca- 

 pable of being put into heap.s, covered with fira\v and earth, and kept 

 in \,\v,xK l^Le Li.iough the winter. I have kept fome in tliis mode froin 



