| XXX | (61) | XXX |
61 A G R I C U L T U R E. able, or Ipring barley upon the winter-furrow, if the feafon proves unfavourable. But when barley is to be Of the Culture of Rye. fown after wheat, peafe, or oats, the land fhould be as foon after harveft as poffible, and laid up in Rye is a winter-grain, and thrives very well on land ploughed a manner as to be beft expofed to the air and frofl, that is improper for wheat. As there is hardly a good fuch market for this grain in Scotland, it is but Jittle cultiva- and to fecure it againfl damage from rain. To anfwer thefe purpofes, barley-land is fometimes ribbed at this ted. In fome places, the land is prepared for it by a feafon: But ribbing flirs only a fmall quantity of the foil; fallow, and good crops are reaped in this way. It may and therefore is better to gather it into narrow ridges be fown in O&ober, November, or early in the fpring. of four or fixitfurrows each, and to make proper drains It may be fown after peafe or barley; but it is improper for carrying off the water. firft ploughing for to fow it after wheat or oats, as this would encourage barleydand is defigned to coverAsthetheftubble, increale the the growth of root-weeds, and greatly exhaufl the land." Rye is fometimes fown as a grafs-feed. If it.be fown vegetable food, and keep the land dry, it need: not be wi^Ji this view in September, upon'a well-prepared fal- very deep, but ought to be as broad as poflible, provided low, it will afford good feeding for fheep in March and it be clean ploughed. April; and after it is cut down, the land may be plough- If it be propofed to dung barley-land, the dung may ed, and fown with barley. This practice, however, will be laid on during the winter-frofi, and ploughed in as foon as the land is in proper condition. When, the dunging is not anfwer in wet land. delayed till immediately before the iaft ploughing, dr feed-furrow, the land, efpecially if it be of a ftiff naOf the Culture of Barley. ture, is in danger of being battered fo as to rife in large ploughed. There are four kinds of barley ufed in Scotland, clodsIn when the ploughing fhould be as deep as the the common barley, the Lincolnfhire barley, the High- ploughfleering, can go, and the foil allows : For by deep ploughland barley, more commonly called rough bear, and the ing at this feafon, part of the earth that has been expo-: Thanet. Thefe different kinds are fown at different feafbns. fed to the air through the winter, and part of it turned The Lincolnfhire barley may be fown any time during up by the ordinary ploughing, are mixed together for the the winter, or in the fpring; the common barley and nourifhment of the crop. In fleering, the. furrows, Thanet may be fown in April, the beginning of May, fhould not be fo broad as in the former ploughing; on or even later; and the rough bear may be fown in May, the contrary, the narrower they are the better. Crofsor the beginning of June: but the precife time of fow- pioughing is very proper at this feafon, if the land be fa ing muff be determined by the weather and the fituation dry as to allow it. of the land. When the feafon is favourable, the land After fleering, the land fhould be well harrowed. It free from weeds, and not too w'et, Lincolnfhire barley makes the weeds fpring, retains die fap, and, if the laml may be fown in February, and the other kinds fooner be tolerably dry, takes out the roots of the quickeningthan the periods above mentioned. grafs. But, if the land be in no danger of lofing the When barley is fown in winter, or early in the fpring, fap, the harrowing may be delayed for fome time after it •the land ought to be ploughed fome time before; but is ploughed; for by this method a greater number of when fown lat£ in the fpring, or in the beginning of fum- weeds are deflroyed. mer, it ought to be fown immediately after it is plough- Though, in general, frequent plpughings are benefied. In winter; or early in the fpring, land is in no dan- cial, yet ploughing when the land is wet is deflruffive. ger of becoming too dry; but in fummer, land is ve- When the fpring is wet, the barley-land in many places' ry liable to become too dry for the purpofes of vegeta- is not in a proper condition to be fown. In this cafe, tion. The farmer ftxould therefore endeavour to have the fleering-furrow muff be omitted, and the land fhould all his feed fown before the feafon be too far advanced. get the feed-furrow as foon as it is in a proper condi-. The quantity of barley fown on an acre is from two tion. to four firlots. When the land is clean and rich, two When barley is to be .fown a fecond time upon the firlots are fufficient $. but when it is infefted with weeds, fame land, without any other crop intervening, two a larger quantity is neceffary. ploughings are fufficient. Barley has tender roots, and is not able to pufh them As our fummers in Scotland are fbmetimes very wet, far in quell of food; it is therefoi'e neceffary to bring barley-land fhould be water-furrowed, and drefied up in land deltined for barley into good tilth, and to enrich it the fame manner as wheat-land. either by manures or frequent ploughings. Barley is often fown upon land that has been fallowed, or after a Of the Culture of Oats. crop of peafe. In fome places it is fown after a crop of oats ; and fbmetimes it is repeated for two or three years The pat is a very hardy plant, and its roots are fuccelhvely upon the fame land. ftrong, which enables it to procure food where many When barley is to be fown upon fallow, in ftiff land other plants would ftarve; and hence the praffice of ginot much infelted with annual weeds, it fhould be dreffed ving lefs culture to oats than to1:any other grain. in November in the fame manner as for wheat; fo that There are three of oats ufed in Scotland, the Lincolnfhire barley may be fown, if the winter be favour- white, the black, andkinds the grey. The white is the moff Vol. I. No. 3. 3 common,
