58 JANUARY, 



The Earl remarks : " I was induced to make 

 the following trial, from having seen upon two very 

 caritjd farms in Kenl and Essex, great crops of 

 oats, sown as early as Christmas week, and from 

 being informed by the gentlemen who occupied 

 those farms, that they always sowed their oats as 

 early as that, if the season admitted of it ; and that 

 they thought it the best time for sowing that grain. 

 I wished to ascertain whether this plan would an- 

 swer in this more northern county. The general 

 time of sowing oats here, is from the beginning of 

 March to the end of April ; and it is the opinion 

 of most people here, that oats sown much earlier 

 would be liable to be destroyed by spring frosts. 

 Last winter was very favourable for the experiment, 

 as the weather was open at Christmas for sewing, 

 and the frost in tiie spring not severe. I divided a 

 field of eight acres equally : one half was sown the 

 day after Christmas day ; the other half the middle"* 

 of March. Five bushels per acre were sown broad- 

 cast on each part, and the same oats : the sort a 

 small white oat, here called short-smalls. The 

 early sown were ripe and cut one week before the 

 others ; they were harvested equally well, without 

 being exposed to any bad weather. I had a rood 

 of each set out very carefully in the middle of the 

 field, reaped and thrashed as soon as carried. The 

 produce and weight were as follow : 



Wmcb. BusLels. Qrj. 



Early sown, 22 per acre, 11 



jUte sown, t . , . . . 19 do 9 4 



, " Weight 



