OF SCOTLAND.

511

iarm-stock ; and even the working horses, in many parts ofScotland, are supported upon oat-straw from Martinmas tillthe middle of February, after which hay is for the most partsubstituted, when spring labour commences. This practice,however, is not to be commended, unless aided by a goodsupply of oats, yams, potatoes, turnips, rulu-baga, or carrots.Even wintering cattle, and young beasts, are now’ almost uni-versally supplied with a moderate allowance of turnips, alongwith their straw, which both advances their growth and con-dition, and much ameliorates the quality, and increases thequantity of the farm-yard manure or muck. This is not theplace appointed for discussing the nature and preparation ofmanures ; yet it may be mentioned in passing, that the lessstraw that is eaten by the farm-stock, so much the more abun-dant will be the muck, and the more valuable, if sufficientlytrampled down, wetted with urine and mixed with dung ;and likewise, that the muck or manure procured from well-fed horses and cattle, is vastly preferable, to an equal quantityproduced by stinted or half-starved animals.

The chaff of oats, when clean and dry, makes an excellentmaterial for filling beds, not much inferior to ordinary feathers;and being prodigiously cheaper, chaff-beds are almost univer-sally used by the lower orders in Scotland .

§ 6. Manufacture _For reasons already assigned, it is

needless to enter into the minute particulars of manufac-turing oats, as belonging to the trade or mystery of the mill-er, and not to husbandry ; yet some observations on the sub-ject may be useful. It is understood, that in some parts veryimproper and illegal freedoms are taken in the manufactureof oatmeal, by mixing barley with the oats while grinding;the reason of which is obvious. A boll or six bushels of oatsof average quality will not often give more titan 140 lbs. avoir-dupois of oatmeal •, whereas, the same quantity of barley, evenonly of moderate quality, will produce above 280 lbs. lienee,in regard to the produce of meal, if a boll of oats in ordinaryoases is worth 20s. to the miller, a boll of barley will be worth