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ON THE AUABLE LAND

454

fore, deserves particular attention when spring wheat is cul-tivated ; as a fortnight during harvest, more especially whenthat is in other respects late, may prove of material advantageor detrimentto the crop. '

There is another species of wheat, named triticuvi ecstivumby botanists, because sown in summer, which is known insome parts of England by the name of May wheat, becauseusually sown in that month. This species of wheat was triedpretty extensively in Berwickshire and E;ist Lothian thirtyor forty years ago, and abandoned, as inferior in value to thevarieties of Lammas wheat. It has sinoe been tried in theyears 1808, 1809, 1810, but not with satisfaction, insomuchthat it is again almost universally given up for spring sownLammas wheat. It will ripen its seed, though sown so lateas the first week of May, in the lower part .of Berwickshire,and on early land. In general, where it is proposed to cul-tivate this species of wheat, the third week of April may beconsidered as sufficiently late. When sown in elevated si-tuations and backward climates, it may be sown, however, ifthere is no risk of frost, even earlier.

'* § 3. The modes of sawing wheat —are either broadcast , bythe hand from a sowing sheet, or drilling, as have been be-fore explained in th c first part of the chapter; but sowingbroadcast is the mode almost universally followed in Scot-land , and having been already sufficiently described need notbe repeated. Ploughing the seed down by means of a shal-low furrow, is rarely practised, though on light soils it hasbeen done with success.

\\ here drilling is practised, and it is so by several husband-men on funds that are particularly infested with annual weeds,the drill machine most generally approved sows at three se-veral intervals, according to the judgment or pleasure of thefanner, of 12, 104, or 9 inches respectively, as it is regulated.It is used on lands or ridges expressly made on purpose, 124-feet broad, each of which is sown at one bout, going up half