52 Cultivation of Arable Land. Oats. Quantity of Seed. 



Seed. The proportion of feed that may be required muft differ according to the 

 difference of the circumflances that have been already ftated, but on foils of a 

 middling quality, four bufhels may be fufficient for the more early fowings, and 

 five for the later ones.where they are put into the ground in the broad-caft method, 

 which fhould conflantly be the cafe where the firft modes of preparation are adopt 

 ed. In fome of the fouthern diftricts the Poland oat is fown at the rate of about 

 four bufhels the acre for the firft fowings ; and it has been found in practice that 

 the earlieft fown crops conftantly afford the moft perfect fample, and in general 

 the moft abundant produce. It is however often the cafe tofow larger proportions 

 of this fort of grain. In the practice of Mr. Walker, of Lincolnfhire, advantage 

 was found from fowing eight bufhels to the acre, the crop being found better 

 and the fample more equal than with a lefs quantity. &quot; The oats are lefs taily, 

 having no tillers to give different degrees of ripenefs, and the crop being ready 

 to cut four or five days fooner than with thinner fowing.&quot; Mr. Ducket is faid to 

 hold the fame opinion, and to drill five bufliels per acre.* With the oats, 

 clover may be fown when necefTary, the feeds being covered by harrowing 

 fuitably to the condition of the land, and where the foil is very light or mel 

 low, a roller mould be palfed over it as foon after as poffible, in order to prefs 

 the mould to the feeds ; but in other circumftances it may be more advifable to 

 defer the rolling until the feafon is dry, and the crop fomewhat advanced in its 

 growth. The practice of fowing oats under furrow, though it has been at 

 tempted on the lighter and more dry forts of land, is not by any means to be 

 advifed, as in fuch a method the feed is apt to be depofited to too great a depth, 

 and to be in danger of either being in fome meafure deftroyed, or of coming up 

 in an irregular manner. The ufe of the drill has not been fo much practifcd 

 with this fort of crop as with many others, but its utility cannot be doubted in 

 many cafes ; nor has that of dibbling been fo fully employed as in other cafes, 

 but on old layers ploughed before the winter frofts commence, it has been 

 had rccourfe to in the fpring when the land was fufficiently dry, and in fuch a 

 condition as to permit the holes to Hand without being filled by the falling in 

 of the mould. 



As this kind of grain is fuppofed to be more liable than moft others to dege 

 nerate, by being too long continued on the fame land, it has been the practice 

 of fome diftricts to change it for fuch as has been imported from other coun- 



* Farmer s Calendar. 



