﻿AGRICULTURE. 
  187 
  

  

  spoken 
  of 
  favorably; 
  but 
  of 
  this 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  

   procure 
  more 
  minute 
  particulars. 
  

  

  The 
  quantity 
  raised 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  in 
  1849, 
  was 
  

   138,000 
  bushels. 
  

  

  Oats, 
  of 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  year, 
  there 
  were 
  produced 
  

   1,500,000 
  bushels, 
  are 
  better 
  adapted 
  to 
  our 
  climate. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  two 
  varieties. 
  Spring 
  and 
  Winter 
  Oat, 
  the 
  

   latter, 
  known 
  also 
  as 
  the 
  Egyptian 
  or 
  Black 
  Oat, 
  is 
  cul- 
  

   tivated 
  chiefly 
  for 
  pasture, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  grazed 
  with 
  little 
  

   deterioration 
  of 
  the 
  crop 
  until 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  March. 
  It 
  

   succeeds 
  well, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  cultivated 
  if 
  the 
  

   abundant 
  production 
  of 
  Indian 
  corn, 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  esti- 
  

   mation 
  of 
  planters, 
  did 
  not 
  render 
  it 
  unnecessary. 
  It 
  is, 
  

   however, 
  much 
  more 
  extensively 
  sown 
  than 
  the 
  census 
  

   returns 
  would 
  indicate; 
  as, 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  de- 
  

   signed 
  for 
  winter 
  grazing, 
  perhaps 
  not 
  half 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   grown 
  is 
  harvested. 
  

  

  Some 
  planters 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  sowing 
  the 
  winter 
  

   oat 
  between 
  the 
  cotton 
  rows, 
  when 
  they 
  go 
  over 
  their 
  

   fields 
  the 
  last 
  time 
  with 
  the 
  hoe-harrow. 
  The 
  seed 
  lie 
  

   dormant 
  whilst 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  shaded, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  germi- 
  

   nate 
  until 
  the 
  cotton 
  plant 
  is 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  frost. 
  The 
  

   oats 
  are 
  not 
  sufiiciently 
  advanced, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  injure 
  

   the 
  crop, 
  or 
  to 
  present 
  any 
  impediment 
  to 
  the 
  gathering 
  

   of 
  the 
  cotton. 
  After 
  supplying 
  the 
  winter 
  grazing, 
  the 
  

   green 
  crop 
  is 
  turned 
  in, 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  

   land 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  enriched 
  ; 
  the 
  oat 
  also 
  protects 
  the 
  

   ground 
  from 
  washing 
  into 
  gulleys 
  by 
  the 
  heavy 
  winter 
  

   rains. 
  

  

  Rye 
  and 
  barley 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  grown 
  almost 
  ex- 
  

   clusively 
  for 
  pasturing. 
  By 
  the 
  last 
  census 
  returns, 
  

   about 
  10,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  the 
  former, 
  and 
  only 
  229 
  

   bushels 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  were 
  the 
  amount 
  produced 
  in 
  

   1849. 
  The 
  former 
  is 
  adapted 
  to 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  