i^i BARLEY. 28. 



until towards the middle of May. The tinie 

 of fowing, however, depends in fome meafure 

 on thefeafon; which, with refpefl to fowing 

 barley, is more attended to in Norfolk than 

 perhaps in all the world befide. Until Linnasus 

 hit upon the idea of fowing by the foliation of 

 trees, the republic of agriculture never heard 

 of any other guide to the time of fowing than 

 the almanack ; which is ftill followed impli- 

 citly in every Diftridt in this kingdom except 

 Norfolk : where a maximj probably as old 

 as the prefent fyllem of husbandry, Ihews 

 that her hufbandmen are not inattentive to the 

 foliation of trees with refpeft to the proper 

 feafon of fowing; their maxim importing, that 

 the fowing of barley ought to clofe with the 

 foliation of the oak :— 



a When the oak puts on his goflling grey, 

 *' *Tis time to fow barley night and day j'* 



that is, when the oak puts on that fallow aj)- 

 pearance which it does at the time the buds 

 are breaking, a few days previous to the cx- 

 panfion of the leaves, no time fhould be loft 

 in getting the feed -barley into the ground 5 



that 



