And Improvement of Soils. 191 
experiments tested by frequent repetition, have-laid a 
foundation for experiments less expensive, and equally 
fertilizing, for the production of grass, and grain.— 
Ploughing and sowing, for the purpose of producing pas- 
ture, and accumulation of vegetable soil have been adopt- 
ed: for this purpose wheat, rye, Indian corn, (maize,) 
buckwheat and oats have been sown upon fields plough- 
ed, which were-incapable of producing any crop ; none 
of those grains, have produced pasture and vegetable 
soil equally valuable, to that from the oats : where the 
others have failed, its roots have pierced, disarmed and 
vanquished the inhospitable soil and rendered it fertile ; 
the winter ploughing is continued, and the oats are 
thrown in, as early as the season will allow, sometimes 
even in February, either upon what has been ploughed 
in autumn, or in the fields which were in corn the pre- 
ceding year, or in pasture oats, the preceding fall. In 
general they afford early pasture, and when they are 
reploughed in J uly and August, and sown again with 
oats, they furnish excellent pasture from early in Sep- 
tember, until late in December, during that season when 
all other pasture is generally dried up. ‘The first sowing 
of oats only gives about two months pasture, but the 
roots and remaining herbage affords a manure for the 
second sowing, and this always yields four months valu- 
able pasture,—which no other course known to me will 
afford. In September, October, November and Decem- 
ber,—considerable attention 1s required, to preserve the 
young clover, which the ficld will be able to raise in 
the second year of the oat pasture: if sown with the 
oats in the spring, the cattle should never be put in 
while the ground is too moist, as they would destroy and 
