( 189 ) 



APRIL. 



BARLEY. 



THE barley crops not sown in March, should 

 be in the ground by the middle of this month. The 

 land I suppose to lie as thrown up in the autumn 

 before ; so that whenever sown, it is (on the old 

 ploughing system) on the spring earth. This sup- 

 position is necessary ; because, if there had been 

 previous plough ings in March, or in the end of 

 February, the seed should have been sown then ; 

 excepting, however, turnip-land, that broke up at 

 first too rough to be sown, which will sometimes 

 happen. The farmers, in some parts of the king- 

 dom, will put off their sowing till the last week in 

 this month, and the first or second of May, for the 

 sake of gaining time for giving three spring earths; 

 but they lose more by far from late sowing, than 

 they gain by making their land fine. If clover is a 

 principal objecl, and they had not the land fine 

 enough before, delays must be made ; but if so, 

 that can scarcely be owing to any thing but bad 

 husbandry : for such events should be had in view, 

 and the tillage given before winter, on lands not 

 cropped with plants that stand till the spring. The 

 utmost exertions of good husbandry should be 

 made to reconcile jarring circumstances, when they 

 cannot be totally prevented. 



But 



