A V E N A. 
5S4 
ed, hairy, efpecially towards the bafe. This fpecies is 
ealily diftinguithed from the others, from its being the lead 
of the genus commonly known; by having its panicle 
finely divided, and of a yellow hue; its fpikelets fmall, 
delicate, generally containing two perfect flowers ; and by 
having its leaves and (ferns conftantly hairy. It becomes 
larger when cultivated, and the (pikelets have then three 
or more flowers. This grafs is found in molt pafture?* 
efpecially high ones, in fome meadows, and frequently on 
banks by road Tides. In many of our counties it forms a 
principal part of the fined paflure on the downs, and in 
fome meadows contributes to the goodnefs as well as great- 
nefs of the crop. It is not fo early as many of the poas, 
nor is it fo late as fome of the agrodis genus : it is by no 
means unproductive, and bids fair to make a good (beep 
padure. This is one of the grades which Mr. Miller re¬ 
commends for cultivation, next to the poas or meadow- 
grades, which he prefers to all others. Dr. Withering 
affirms, that cattle are not fond of it, which mud furely 
be a mi flake. 
13. Avena hifpida: panicled, calyxes three flowered, 
hairy. 14. Avena capenfis : panicle contracted, calyxes 
three-flowered. Tubulate ; corolla pubefcent; middle awn 
twifled, curved. Both thefe are natives of the Cape. 
15. Avena purpurea : panicle contracted, calyxes two- 
flowered, ovate; corollas villofe, outer glume bifid, awn 
terminal, bent in. i6. Avena lutea : panicle fpreading, 
calyxes two flowered, fubulate; corollas naked, three, 
awned; middle awn flexuofe. Both thefe are natives of 
Martinico. 
17. Avena lupulina: panicle contracted, ovate; calyxes 
three-flowered, lanceolate; corollas villofe, outer glume 
bifubulate, middle awn reflex. Native of the Cape of 
Good Hope, where it was obferved by Tlninberg. 
18. Avena frigilis, or brittle oat-grafs : fpiked, calyxes 
four-flowered, longer than the floret. Root annual; culms 
many, frnooth, with three joints, fix or feven inches high. 
Native of Spain and Portugal; introduced in 1770 by 
Monf. Richard. 
19. Avena pratenfis, or meadow oat-grafs: fubfpiked, 
calyxes five-flowered, florets frnooth, leaves channelled, 
fmooth. Root perennial ; culm a foot high, with about 
five knots. Native of Europe and Siberia, on dry padures 
and heaths. It flowers in July. 
20. Avena fpicata: fpiked, calyxes fix-flowered, longer 
than the outer petal, which is awned and forked at top. 
Native of Pennfylvania. 
21. Avena bromoides : fubfpiked, fpicules binate, one 
peduncled; awns divaricate, calyxes eight-flowered. Height 
two feet. Native of Switzerland, and the neighbourhood 
of Montpellier. 
22. Avena drigofa: panicled, calyxes two-flowered, co¬ 
rolla fmooth at the bale; outer valve ending in two awns 
fiiorter than the valve, and with a bent awn from the 
back. Native of Europe, among oats, baTley, and fome- 
times rye. Annual. 
23. Avena aurata, or golden oat-grafs: calyxes two- 
flowered, panicle fparfe, ereCt; corollas golden, villofe at 
the bafe. This is a handfome grafs; culms nine inches 
high4 leaves briftle-Oiaped, very (lender. Native of the 
alps of Switzerland and Piedmont. 
24. Avena Scheuchzeri : locudas round, five-flowered, 
pubefcent at the bafe; peduncles branching. Culm from 
fix to twelve inches in height; leaves fmooth. Native of 
the alps of Switzerland, Savoy, and Piedmont. 
25. Avena filiformis : panicle ereift, very (lender ; ca¬ 
lyxes one-flowered ; awns twice the length of the calyx. 
Native of New Zealand and Eader ifland. 
Propagation and Culture. For the grades, fee Grass. 
The bed time for fowing oats is in February or March, 
according as the feafon is early or late ; and fometimes, 
when fown in April, upon cold land, they have been early 
ripe. The black and red oats may be fown a month earlier 
than the white, bec.aufe they are hardier. 
J.n the papers of the Bath agricultural fcciety, there is 
an experiment made in order to afcertaid the effefl of early 
fowing. Black oats were fown on the 17th and 28th of 
February, which is a month fooner than the common prac¬ 
tice. The quantity fown was four Wincheder bufhels to 
the acre. The land was a mellow, deep, fandy, loam, on 
which potatoes had grown. The produce was ninety-eight 
bufhels and a quarter to the acre. The fuccefs, however, 
is not imputed wholly to early (owing, but partly to good 
deep tillage. White oats, fown the lad week in May, 
have produced feven quarters to the acre. In Hertford- 
diire they do not put them in till they have done fowing 
barley ; in Suffolk, on the contrary, they are fown before 
barley. The former praftice is feemingly the bed, this 
oat being more tender. Mr. Marfliall gives the blowing of 
the fallow as a direction for the time of fowing this grain. 
Oats-are often fown on land which has the former year 
produced wheat, rye, or barley. The common method is 
to plough in the dabble about the beginning of February, 
and fow the oats, and harrow them in ; but they mud be 
harrowed the fame way as the furrows lie; for, if it be 
done croflwife, the dubble will be raifed on the furface : 
but this is not a good method of luifbandry; for, when 
there is time to plough the dubble in autumn, it will rot 
in winter, and then, giving the land another ploughing 
and a good harrowing jud before the oats are fown, it will 
make the ground finer and better to receive the grain. 
Oats are alfo fown upon land when it is fird broken up, 
before the ground is brought to a tilth for other grain, and 
are frequently put in upon the fvvard with one ploughing; 
but it is much better to give the fward time to rot before 
the feed is fown, for the roots of the grafs will prevent 
thofe of the corn from driking downward. 
Mod people allow four bufhels of oats to an acre, but 
we are convinced that three budiels are more than enough ; 
the ufual produce is about twenty-five bulhels to an acre, 
though we have fometimes known more than thirty bufli- 
els. This is no very great crop, forty budiels and up¬ 
wards being no very unufual produce ; but not from fow¬ 
ing thin. With refpeCf to the proper quantity of feed to 
be fown, pradlical men dift’er widely in opinion. 
It appears from Mr. Young’s Tour through the South¬ 
ern Counties, that the quantity of oats fown varies from 
five budiels two pecks, to two budiels and a half; and that 
the produce of.the feveral quantities fown.is as follows: 
Qc b- p* 
From 5 bufhels and upwards ----460 
4 bufhels - -- -- -- -422 
4 to 5 budiels - -- - - .360 
3 budiels and a half - -- -- 220 
2 budiels and a half - -- -- 200 
Mr. Young fays, that he (hall not venture to decide the 
mod beneficial quantities of feed from this table, but that 
he thinks we may fairly venture to reject the undidinguidi- 
ing recommendations which have been given, by feveral 
authors, in favour of uling very fmall quantities of feed. 
Two bufhels, and even one, have been named as feed 
enough for an acre ; but this table proves the direCt con¬ 
trary. Four bufhels are the mod common quantity ; if 
thefe gentlemen’s opinions were founded on various prac¬ 
tice, thofe farmers who life more than that would reap 
much lefs crops than their neighbours, indead of which 
they reap much greater. It is well known, indeed, that 
very fmall quantities of feed diould be fown on land ex- 
cedively rich. A gentleman farmer may make his field as 
rich as a garden, and theii find that one or two budiels of 
oats are fufficient to be fown on an acre ; but he is not 
therefore to condemn his neighbours who fow more; the 
quantity of feed (hould be proportioned to the poverty of 
the ground; for in rich land corn tillers fo much as ap¬ 
parently to cover the field, but in poor land it does not 
tiller at all, confequently the grains (hould be fo much 
the nearer. 
Mr. Young, in his Northern Tour, gives another table 
of the different quantities of feed fown, with their refpec- 
tive average produce, as follows : 
Front 
