1800.] 
culum of thefe kernels, which refufed to 
germinate on the floer, was fiimulated 
into aétion by the larger proportion of 
oxygen which the mould of the garden 
contained? Jf fo, and the faét.is very 
eafily afcertained, the malfter ts not fo 
much at the mercy of the feafons as the 
communication of your correfpondent, Mr. 
Kerrich, would lead us to imagine: he 
may furely contrive to impart a portion of 
oxygen to his malt-heap without much 
difficulty, and without much expence. 
Encouraged by the fuccefs of my litile 
experiments on the growth of difcoloured 
barley, I fold my brighteft corn, and truit- 
ed my whole crop tothe meft ordinary and 
darkeft feed I had. I have betore faid, 
that the prefent appearance of my crop, 
confifting of more than forty acres, gives 
me reafon to expect an abundant produce. 
Although barley will grow in the ground 
after having received confiderable difco- 
Joration, may afler an incipient germina- 
tion bas taken place in the ear as ii has lain 
on the ground; it certainly may be fo in- 
jured as to be very unlafe for feed: I 
agree therefore with Mr. Kerrich in ear- 
neftly recommending to thofe, who at any 
future fealon may be difpofed to fow dark 
barley, to try ‘* a jimall quantity of what 
they may releive fur feed, that they may 
afcertain whether it will grow or not, be- 
fore they fow their general crop.” 
From this digreflion, Mr. Editor, we 
muft return to the prefent appearance of 
the corn, &c. in this part of the country : 
the peas and the beans are unufually well 
buag, to ule a provincial phr fe; the former 
particularly, which I have obferved in fe- 
veral places, are podded from ove end of 
the ftraw to the other. Of rye we do not 
grow much in this neighbourhood; the 
tew fields which I have feen of this grain 
Jook well: pota:oes are cultiva'ed in greater 
abundance this year than I have ever 
obferved before, and, like all the other 
crops, their prefent appearance is highly 
favourable. 
Turnip-fowing is almof, if not entirely, 
over with us; and J am forry to fay, that 
the young plants are very much injured 
in confequence of the prefent {-vere and 
Jong continued drought, on the heavy 
Jands, where, for the realon I have before 
ftated, they grow very flowly, and are long 
expofed to the mercile{s depredations of rhe 
Jy. [have already ploughed up feveral acres 
which were entirely {tripped eff, and fear 
I fhall have much occafion yet for the ule of 
my tranfplanters*, As a rapid vegetation 
* For account of this infirament, its 
Agricultural Obfervations. 
133 
is, Tam perfuaded, the. moft if not the 
_ only, effeétual prefervative againft the fly, 
it is likely that feed fteeped in water for 
twenty-four hours inmediately before it 
is fown would prefently bid defiance to 
its ravages, even. on heavy land. I have 
never tried the experiment, though I be- 
lieve the pra€tice is not uncommon: per- 
haps fome of your correfpondents can in- 
form me, whether it is ufually fuccefsful. 
Among the favourable circumftances, it 
ought to be mentioned, that the hay crop 
is remarkably abundant, and has been 
fiacked in the fineft condition. ‘The par- 
tial failure of this crop for two fucceffive 
yeirs has been feverely felt by farm- 
horfes, many of which during the whole 
of Jalt winter lived on barley or wheat 
ftraw, with a fcanty portion of oats. 
The late invention of thole chaff-en- 
gines which cut ftraw, &c. by the rota- 
tion of a wheel, on two or three radii of 
which are fixed knives, has made the prac- 
tice of (traw-cutting far more geneisl tvan 
it ufed to be; I have heard that fome far- 
mers cut all their hay with one of thefe 
engines, and at night, afier filling the 
mangers with it, put ftraw only into the 
racks. It is fuppo’ed that a horfe will 
thrive better, or at lealt as well, on a {mall 
quantity of hay thus cut, than he will 
on a large one eaten in the ufual way 
with a tedious maftication: it is certain, 
moreover, that a horfe cannot wafte his 
hay; the faving from thefe circumftances 
have been thought fufficient to pay the 
expence of cutting. Of this I am by no 
means convinced : I cannot underitand by 
what magic a ftcel kuife can add to the 
nutritious quality of hay. In the winter 
time, if a horfe works two journeys a 
day, the interval of reft at noon is too fhort 
for him to fill his Romach, unlefs he has a 
confiderable quantity of tcod prepared for 
him it is the general and judicious prac- 
tice, therefore, to give him chaff, or cut 
hay or ftraw, with his corn, But in the 
long winter nights, what faving is obtained 
by cutting hay adequate to the expence of 
it, Ido not know: the horfcs, it js true, 
will pull hay out of their racks, and tram- 
ple it under foot; this, however, may be 
every morning taken from the ftalls, and 
given tothe fheep, the bullocks, or the 
cows, and fearcely a lock of it will be 
{poiled. 
Now we are onthe fubject of horle- 
keeping, I fhall take the liberty of ttating 
a method which fome of us adopt in fum- 

conftruction and management, fee the Bath 
Papers, vol. iv. p. 220. 
mer 
