OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 77 



frequently obferved, when frofts or high winds prevail 

 at the time of blo^Toming. The experience of the three 

 laft years has nearly convinced me, that there is little 

 connexion between the quality of the feed, and the 

 diforder in queftion. The feed wheat of the year 1 799 

 was remarkably bad, and yet in this part of the county 

 the produce of the following year, 1800, was quite 

 free from fmut, and good in every particular ; but this 

 being fown produced the enfuing year, 1801, grain 

 very much infected with that complaint. 



4. Seedy quantity foiun. About four buihels to at* 

 Irifh. acre is the general allowance; this makes two and 

 one-half bufhels to the Englifh acre ; Mr. Chrifty fows 

 five bufhels per Irifh acre. I fhall quote his own 

 words : " I am in the practice of fowing five bufhels 

 on an Irifh acre, which is considerably thicker than is 

 ufually done in this neighbourhood. I have long beea 

 of the judgment, that one of the many caufes, why the 

 land in general is fo extremely weedy, is that of thin, 

 fowing, as- I have never feen the ground fo clean as 

 after a thick crop, nor ever faw a thia one without 

 abundance of weeds fucceeding it." Mr. Gr-acey of 



j 



Lecale fows two and one-half hundred weight a barrel* 

 which is about half a bufhel lefs. The opinions of 

 thefe fkilful cultivators coincide with my own ex-. 

 perience; the queftion is not to obtain the greateft 

 quantity in proportion to the feed, but the greateftj 

 quantity upon a given piece of ground. 



5th. Time. 



