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Vol. I.
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492

ON THE ARABLE LAND

Scotch barley —This kind lias been sown in Scotland fromtime immemorial, and is of the hot-seed or quick growing va-riety of the hordeum distichon. It admits of great latitude inthe season of sowing, having in some cases been sown so lateas the 12th of June, and produced a satisfactory crop. It isseldom sown, however, after the middle of May; because,when sown later, or even then, more especially if the summerbe warm and moist, it is apt to grow up with so much rapi-dity that the straw is soft and weak, and in danger of lodgingfrom a very slight cause, by which the crop is materially in-jured. When sown early in the season, the straw is muchstronger and stands up as well as any of the other varieties.This variety is deservedly a favourite with judicious farmers,and is even preferred by brewers and distillers to the English varieties when sown in Scotland , especially when these havebeen more than once or twice sown. What is known bythe name of ware barley in the south-eastern parts of Scot-land , is merely this Scotch variety produced on land manur-ed with sea-weed, provincially called ware. After the ordi-nary Scotch barley has been sown two or three times uponthese t cared lands, it is sought after for seed by farmers in themore inland and later parts of the country, where it is foundto ripen earlier than barley which has grown on their ownlands.

llathripe or hotspur barley _This variety is produced on

the forward soils in the south of England, and affords theearliest barley crop wherever it is sown. It is well known inthe neighbourhood of London , especially about Fulham andPutney. In a warm summer it ripens in ten weeks or se-venty days, and is generally ripe two or three weeks soonerthan any other variety. In Cornwall it has been known toripeu in eight weeks or fifty-six days. From having beenimmemorially cultivated on the most early soils, it has becomea more early ripening grain than other varieties; and thisearly quality appears in whatever soil or situation it may beplaced, providing the seed is renewed at short intervals from