Crltiovation of Arable Land.—Oats. 581

of a middling quality, four buthels may be fufficient for the more early fow. s, and. five for the later ones, where they are put into the ground in the broadcaft method, which fhould conftantly be the cafe where the firft modes of Preparation are adopted. In fome of the fouthern diftri&s the Poland out is fown at the rate of about four bufhels the acre for the fir fowines; and it has been found in practice that the earlie? fown crops conftantly afforded the moft perfe&t fample, and in general the moft abundant produce. With the oats, clover may be fown when neceflary, the feeds being covered by harrowing fuitably to the condition of the land, and where the foil is very light or mel- low, a roller thould be pafled over it as foon after as poflible, in order to prefs the mold to the feeds; but in other circumftances it may be more advifable to defer the rolling until the feafon is dry, and the crop fomewhat advanced in its growth. The practice of{owing oats under furrow, though it has been ate tempted on the lighter and more dry forts of land, is not by any means to be advifed, as in fuch a method the feed is apt to be depofited to too great a depth, and to be in danger of either being in fome meafure deftroyed, or of coming up in an irregular manner. The ufe of the drill has not been fo much prattifed with this fort of crop as to afcertain the utility of it; nor has that of dibbling been tried with that fort of attention that is neceffary to determine the pro- priety of it.

As this kind of grain is fuppofed to be more liable than moft others to dege- nerate, by being too long continued on the fame land, it has been the practice of fome diftri&s to change it for fuch as has been imported from other coun- tries™. It is probable, however, that by colle€ting and fowing the beft and moft perfect of our own produce, this expenfive practice may be rendered unnecef- tary. By fimilar attention moft of the different forts of oats are alfo capable of being greatly improved both in the quality and appearance of the grain.

When this fort of grain is cultivated on fuch leys as are newly broken uD, there may frequently be danger, efpecially where the land has been long in the ftate of grafs, both from the dettruétive attacks of infects, and the foil becom- ing too light, open, and porous, from the decay of the grafly material, for the fupport of the plants. The firft may probably in fome meafure be obviated, by eating fuch lands very clofely with fheep previous to their being broken up, as by fuch a method the ova of fuch infeéts may be much deftroyed, and their propagation prevented. And the treading the crops by fheep, as well as the

* Corrected Report of the North Riding of Yorkfhire.