OF PLOUGHING. 231 



has been ploughed ; nor is there any difficulty observed on 

 that account : and Mr Thomson of Bewlie, in Roxburgh- 

 shire, observes, that it is a common practice in that part of 

 the country, to sow oats after both the winter and spring 

 furrows. From his own experience, he certainly prefers 

 the winter-furrow for oats, particularly when a dry spring 

 and summer takes place. Oid ploughed land keeps in the 

 sap, and brings forward the young plants equally ; whereas 

 the corn sown in the spring-furrow, in a dry season, does 

 not come half away at first, and is full of aftershots ; hence 

 does not produce nearly so good a crop as the winter- 

 ploughed lands. It must be remarked, however, that a 

 great part of the ground which carried turnips, must in 

 every year be ploughed in the spring months ; also, that 

 in all backward seasons, much of the grass land intended 

 for oats, cannot be got ploughed sooner than February or 

 March. 



On a point of such importance, it is proper to state the 

 arguments on both sides, leaving the question to be ulti- 

 mately decided by future experiments. The farmers in 

 the Carsc of Gowrie do not think it would answer their 

 strong soil. When they have spare time in the beginning 

 of winter, to plough part of their clover leys before Christ- 

 mas, (which is sometimes the case), they think the mould 

 or soil is too close, and on that account the oats are a more 

 stinted crop, than when the ley is ploughed in January or 

 February ; and Mr Dudgeon, Prora, maintains, that clover 

 ley ploughed soon in February, upon soft land, and upon 

 all deep light loam for oats, will generally produce from 

 one to two bolls per acre more, than if it had been plough- 

 ed about Christmas or early in January.*" The early-plough- 



* Mr Dudgeon likewise remarks, that when clover ley is ploughed for 

 wheat, if any rye-grass has been sown with the clover, it ought never te 



