

116 OATS ON LAYS. [-MARCH, 



barley, and never sown unless the land be in proper 

 order for barley, or to sow them after a fallow 

 crop, and clover with them, in the same manner 

 as barley. 



OATS AFTER TURNIPS, &c. 



The observations which have been made on bar- 

 ley, are equally applicable if oats be sown. And 

 the farmer should, in the distribution of his farm, 

 consider which of these two crops is likely to pay 

 him best. This will very much depend on his soil. 

 Warm forward sands yield as many quarters of 

 barley, perhaps, as of oats ; but upon various other 

 soils, the produce of oats, compared with that of 

 barley, will be as 4 to 3, and on some as 5 to 3. 

 He should also take into consideration, the greater 

 steadiness of price which oats have for many years 

 yielded, in comparison of the price of barley; cir- 

 cumstances which may reasonably induce him to 

 sow them in a larger proportion than is common 

 among his neighbours. On the other hand, it is 

 not to be forgotten that they exhaust more. 

 OATS ON LAYS. 



It is very common husbandry to put in oats on 

 one ploughing of old grass, and on layers of shorter 

 duration. The method is to plough the land be- 

 fore the frosts, and to dibble in the spring, as soon 

 as the weather is dry enough ; but the soil must, 

 from its nature, or from rolling, be in such temper 

 a< to permit the holes to xifiml, and not to moulder 

 in, when the dibble is removed. In some cases, 

 the safe way is, to plough, roll, and dibble imme- 

 diately. 



