OI ; SCOTLAND.

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lection and changing of seed than oats, more especially be-cause they are exceedingly liable to degenerate from theiroriginal state, which can only be guarded against by judici-ous selection of seed. This is to be accomplished in two ways;either by careful selection from the crops produced by goodseed, or by carefullv purchasing select kinds from neighbours,who have paid attention to that important business. In thehands of a careful and judicious person, the business of rear-ing select varieties for seed, might be profitable to the indivi-dual, and exceedingly useful to the neighbourhood. The far-mer who first introduced potatoe oats, made a great deal ofmoney by devoting his attention to the rearing and sale ofthat select variety. On his authority it is stated, that he uni-formly riddled out the small or baby oats from his crop,which he reserved for home use, selling only the large grainas seed to others, for which he always got a high price.

§ 4. Harvesting and threshing .—The various steps of theharvest process, together with stacking, threshing, and dress-ing for market, do not in any respect differ from those al-ready mentioned respecting barley. The oat is a hardy grain,and rarely gets much damage during harvest, except fromhigh winds, or from shedding, either while cutting if tooripe, or when opened and tied up again after having beenthoroughly wetted; yet in long continued moist weather,oats will sometimes chip or sprout in the ear, both whenlodged and in the stooks. The early varieties being liable toshed when handled, require to be cut somewhat unripe ; yetthis circumstance must be ventured on with much precaution,as cutting too green, diminishes the produce in quantity andquality considerably.

One circumstance in harvest management, peculiar to theWestern Islands, for securing barley and oats, particularlythe former, may here be mentioned. In the course of eachharvest day, all the sheaves are left standing on their butts,and in the evening all the reapers join together to unite thesesheaves into threaves or double stooks; but if threatened with