cultivators choose the finest qualities of each species | thoroughly drenched with moisture in autumn, ar for seed; sowing them on the land best adapted for their growth. Some varieties are remarkably attached to particular soils, and certain degrees of fertility and moisture seem to suit them best. Others require a greater degree and duration of heat, and frequently take four or five weeks longer to ripen. Early sowing of these sorts ought to be resorted to.

Too sudden a change in climate and situation is hurtful; hence Yorkshire seed has been found to answer better in Scotland than that brought from Essex. Many varieties may be introduced gradually, which would not answer if the habit of the variety were not a little consuited. The particular varieties of grain will be described under their respective heads, and the soils to which they are best suited.

Sowing. The oldest established mode of sowing is by broadcast, or scattering the grain from the hand over the land which has been prepared for it. But this plan is not so economical, or otherwise so valuable, as sowing in drills by machines. In Scotland, the usual method of sowing broadcast consists in the sower walking along the ridges, and at very regular intervals, so as to keep time with his steps, throwing a handful of grain before him by a wide sweep of the arm. He carries the grain in a sheet, which is slung round his neck and is open to the hand in front. A servant attends, to afford fresh supplies at the end of the ridges.

Culture of Wheat.-Wheat is the most important of all the grains, and its varieties are numerous. Among those now in cultivation, the following may be enumerated :-The bearded, the Dunglass, the golden ear, the velvet ear, the egg-shell, the hedge-wheat, the Essex dun, the Kentish yellow, the white and red Essex, the Mungoswell's, the Burwell red, the Hunter's, and the Georgian. A general division of wheats is made into white and red, with several shades between, and summer and winter. Winter wheat may be brought into the nature of summer, by altering the time of sowing. If winter wheat be sown at the period for putting summer wheat into the ground, in the course of two seasons the winter will become of a similar habit as the summer, and the same process will bring a summer wheat to be a winter one.

In general, the fine white wheats are preferred to the brown and red; but the latter is most profitable for wet adhesive soils and unfavourable climates, on account of its hardiness and ripening early. A red wheat, of great productiveness, has been recently introduced into Scotland from Mark Lane.

The variety of wheat most profitable to be produced must depend upon the nature of the soil, as land which has produced an indifferent crop of one may yield an abundant crop of another kind; and land is frequently found to yield better crops if the varieties be alternately changed. It has been observed, that a mixture of grain produces the heaviest crops, and that mixed flour makes the best bread.

The richer description of clays and strong loams are the best adapted for the production of wheat; but if properly cultivated and well manured, any variety of these two soils will produce excellent crops of this grain. Good wheat land ought always to possess a large quantity of clay and little sand; for although light soils may be made to produce good crops, yet the strong clay lands in general yield the heaviest grain. Sandy soils, being deficient in firmness, do not afford sufficient support to the roots of plants such as wheat, which do not sink far into the soil. There are light soils, however, made from decomposed granite, felspar, or clay-stone, compounded with vegetable matter, which produce excellent wheat.

"The season for sowing wheat is necessarily regulated by the state of the land, as well as of the season; on which account it is not always in the farmer's power to choose the moment he would prefer. After fallow, e season allows, it may be sown from the end of ill the middle of November. On wet clays, it to sow as early as possible, as such soils, when

seldom in a proper state for harrowing till the succeed ing spring. In the opinion of many experienced hus bandmen, the best season for sowing wheat, whether on fallow, rag-fallow, or ploughed clover stubble, is from the beginning of September to the 20th of October; bag this must depend upon the state of the soil and weather, In East Lothian, on dry gravelly loams, in good cond tion, after a clover crop, and well prepared, wheat hat been known to succeed best when sown in November. After drilled beans, whenever the season will admit of ploughing and harrowing, wheat may be sown from the middle or end of September to the middle of November; after this season, the sowing of wheat ought not to 14 hazarded till the spring quarter returns.

After turnips, when the crop is consumed or led off, and the ground can be properly ploughed, wheat may be sown any time betwixt the 1st of February and the middle of March; and it is customary to plough and sow the land in successive portions as fast as the turnips are consumed. It is only on turnip soil of a good qua lity, verging towards loam, and in high condition, that winter wheat, sown in spring, can be cultivated with success. When circumstances are favourable, however, it will generally happen that such lands, when wheat is not too often repeated, will nearly produce as many bushels of wheat as of barley. The wheat crops, there fore, on an average of seasons, will exceed the value of the barley crop considerably; hence its culture is an object which ought not to be neglected.”—(General Report of Scotland.)

Wheat is liable to certain fungous diseases, as, for example, smut, mildew or rust, &c. With the view of preserving the grain from these most injurious dis orders, it is customary to prepare the seed by steeping or pickling it in a kind of saline brine, or diluted urite. Steeping or pickling is performed after the seed ha been washed, by allowing it to lie for a time amongst stale urine, diluted with water, or salt brine, of sufficient strength to float an egg. The seed is put into tabs, containing as much liquid as will cover the grain a few inches, and allow it to be well stirred, so as to bring al the light grains to the surface, which are skimmed of as long as they continue to rise. Another way is to put the seed into baskets, which are immersed in the water, are easily taken out, and can be convenienty placed over an empty tub to drain. The seed is left for three or four hours in the chamber lye, or full six hours in the pickle, after which the liquor is drawn off, and the wheat spread thinly on the floor of the granary, where it is well sprinkled over with quick-lime slaked in the liquid. About half a peck of lime is sufficient for a bushel of wheat, and it should be well stirred, so that every grain may get a portion. If the seed is to be drilled, it should be passed through a coarse sieve after being limed, which will facilitate its progress through the machine. The grain will thus be quickly dried; and it should not lie more than six hours in the heap, then be spread out, and used the following day.

Some caution should be used in having the le properly slaked, for if this is not done, too great a heat may be raised, which will destroy the vegetative pri ciple. Doubts have been expressed of the efficacy of lime, and a solution of copperas is used on the Continent instead. Dry powdered lime would certainly have no effect, but when newly slaked it is very efficacious, as has been proved from experiment. It was found that a steep of lime-water alone, in which wheat was immersed for four-and-twenty hours, proved a powerful preventive of disease, while the good effects of unmixed brine were very inconsiderable.

Of the two kinds of steeps mentioned, urine is thought the most efficient, and it should be used neither too fresh nor too stale, as in the first state it is ineffectual, and in the second injurious. The seed should be sown as soon as dry; for if allowed to lie in sacks or heaps be yond a day or two, the lime may be very hurtful Another steep, which is recommended by Sir John Sinclair, and is much used in Flanders, Í'tance, and

for the late and more common sorts. The early kinds, which are not kept for permanent stock, are planted in March. The potato harvest is in October or beginning of November. It has been customary to plant by sets or cut pieces of the potato, each having an eye or point of germination; but the numerous failures of the crops have introduced the practice of setting the whole tuber, which is preferable. In the large farms of Scotland, they are set in drill furrows (previously well manured), at a distance of eighteen inches apart, and six inches of earth is turned over upon them by the horse-hoe. When the plants appear above the surface, they are repeatedly earthed as may be required; this, with the weeding of them, is done by hand-hoeing. Potatoes are very susceptible of diseases, which cause failures of crop; but there is reason to believe that this arises from some kind of mismanagement, as, for example, producing again and again without change of seed, lifting of seed after frost, rot from wet seasons, heating of heaps after lifting, &c. Recommending all who feel interested in potato husbandry to consult the treatise of Mr Jackson, formerly alluded to, for information, we need here only say, that the preventives of disease, likely to be most successful, are frequent changes of seed, bringing seed from quite a different soil, not too frequent cropping from the same land, spreading out to dry after lifting, and careful protection from frost during winter. They are best preserved in pits, a layer of potatoes and earth alternately to a height of four feet, and finally covered with earth on the top and sides. This is considered the condition most natural to the potato, and is found to succeed well.

Turnips yield a most profitable crop for the main- | tish islands is the end of April or beginning of May, tenance of live-stock; and they are also useful as a green crop, by permitting an effectual cleansing of the land from weeds. The leaves being large and spreading, they afford a shade which retains the moisture, and tends to decompose any vegetable matter in the ground. Turnips are divided into various classes, in each of which there are several varieties. The more common classes are the round or globe-shaped, the depressed or Norfolk, and the fusiform or oblong, the latter being better known by the name of Swedish. They are also sometimes known by their colour, as the white, the yellow (including the Swedish), and the purple-topped. The white, with the purple-topped, is early, particularly suited to those light soils where sheep are fed, and requires less manure. It must be consumed, however, as soon as possible, or is apt to run to seed or to be injured by frost. Upon the whole, the Swedish or yellow turnip is now preferred to most others, and yields the heaviest crop. It requires to be sown early, or from the beginning of April to the end of May; the seed should be given liberally, or at the rate of about three pounds per acre. In all cases, the sowing ought to be in drills, to permit an effective hoeing when the crop is getting up. After being sown on a well-ploughed field, the roller must be employed to press all smooth on the ridges. The plants will in general make their appearance about ten days or a fortnight after they are sown, according to the quality of the soil and the state of the weather. When the leaves are about two inches high, a horse-hoeing is given between the ridgelets, to cut up the weeds close to the plants. The hand-hoe is then introduced, to thin the crop, leaving plants standing at intervals of from eight to ten inches apart, the Swedish kind being somewhat wider. This distance is thought quite sufficient to ensure plants neither too large nor too small in size. The soft turnip, when allowed too great a distance, is apt to become very large, and its nutritive juices are found to be quite lost. The Swedish and other hard turnips should be allowed sufficient room to become as large as possible, for their nature is such that there is no fear of their ever being over bulky. The hand-hoeing and thinning are generally performed by women and boys, and three expert hoers will go over an acre a-day. A few days after the hoeing, a small swing-plough is used to make small ridgelets between the rows; and when weeds are still in abundance, it will be necessary again to horse or hand hoe the ground, which levels the intermediate ridgelet. After all weeds are thoroughly destroyed, and the thinning is accomplished, the earth is sometimes gathered up about the plants by means of a small plough with two mouldboards. This operation, however, is objected to, on the plea that the earth prevents the bulbs from growing, and also when the produce is to be consumed on the ground, the sheep may be injured by falling into the hollows between the rows. On wet soils, the earthing up is very beneficial, as it allows the free discharge of superabundant moisture; and when the weather is frosty, the earth is an excellent protection to the plants. Turnips may either be consumed on the fields where they grow, on grass fields, in fold-yards, or in feedinghouses; and in the vicinity of large towns they are sold to cowfeeders. A cheap and expeditious mode of lifting turnips has been practised in Ireland. The tops are first shaved off with a scythe, and given to young cattle, and the bulbs are ploughed out of the soil, which being afterwards harrowed, they are left entirely free of the ground. The turnips are then gathered into carts, commencing at the top of the field and going regularly down, so that none may be bruised; and it is calculated that six labourers will lift an acre of turnips by this method in a day. Mangel wursel is now introduced with advantage as a variety in green husbandry, and, as a food for cattle, supersedes turnips.

Hay-making. When the grass has arrived at or near its full growth, but before the seed is perfected, it should be cut down by the scythe for hay. A short time after being mown, it should be turned over in full swathes, without being scattered. If not in a fit state to be cocked the first day after cutting, it should be put into small hand-cocks, as soon as its state of dryness will allow; from these it should be gathered into larger ones, and when its condition permits, put into tramp ricks. The gathering of the hay is generally performed by women and boys, some carrying, and others raking up what may remain. Let it be remembered that the less the hay is exposed to the sun, the better is its flavour and strength. In wet seasons, the utmost care will be required not to stack the hay while moist; for then, like moist sheaves of grain, it will heat, and either burst into a flame, or be seriously damaged in quality. The criterion for good hay is, that it should be greenish in colour, be perfectly dry, and possess a sweet odour. In this state it will be eaten with avidity by horses.

Within the limits assigned to us, it is impossible to impart directions for every step in husbandry ; and we shall consider our task accomplished if we have impressed certain leading principles of agriculture on the minds of those hitherto ignorant of them. Not to be misunderstood, we shall specify, in conclusion, what we consider important truths in connexion with this subject:-1. Land, to be well cultivated, must either be the property of the farmer, or be let on a moderately long lease. 2. The husbandry must be convertible, that is, on a precise system of rotation of grain and green crops. 3. Cattle must be kept, to produce a due share of manure for the fields. 4. If the land be moist, or liable to heavy rains, it must be effectually drained. (See next article.) 5. Deep ploughing, and thorough pulverising of the soil, are essential. 6. The fields, must be properly fenced and of easy access. And, lastly, no land will be profitable as a speculation, unless closely superintended by a farmer whose mind is alive to all its varied wants, and neither rash in Potatoes.-Crops of this valuable plant usually enter running into experiments, nor prejudiced against wellinto a course of husbandry, particularly in the neigh-authenticated improvements. bourhood of populous towns, where a ready market cau be obtained. The usual period of planting in the Bri- Printed and published by W. and R. CHAMBERS, Edinburgh