8G BERTHA'S VISIT TO TIER 



of the old stubble enriches the ground, or some 

 other manure is added ; and, indeed, I see it 

 is, as he says, {C a continual chain of produc- 

 tion and repioduction." In some parts of the 

 country, wheat is not sown till early in spring ; 

 but this depends on the nature of the soil. Oats 

 are always sown in spring, but that grain is not 

 commonly cultivated in this part of the 

 country. 



" The rich soil, then, of Gloucestershire, is 

 better suited to the food of man, than to the 

 food of horses ?" said I to my uncle. " Yes," 

 he replied, " if you mean oats, by what you call 

 the food of horses ; but I assure you, that in a 

 considerable part of Great Britain, the oat is 

 the chief food of man and most happily for 

 him, he can live on it. In the cold hills of the 

 Highlands of Scotland and in the poor soil of 

 parts of England and Ireland, the oat thrives 

 better than wheat, and not being put into the 

 ground till the depth of winter is past, it is less 

 liable to be injured by the effects of frost and 

 damp. Barley, too, has this merit of growing in 

 poor or rather in light soils, and of supplying food 

 for numbers." 



I told my uncle that I was very desirous of 

 learning something of agriculture. He advised 

 me to observe the various operations of husban- 

 dry myself. " When you are interested in the 

 progress of the work," he said, " you will find 



