in expenses (Cooper, 1831, Car. and Pay. Reps.); and the master, in this case, has no right to deduct the expenses from the servant's wages (Lellan, 1829, Car. and Pay. Reps.).-4. Servants' Obligations. Servants are bound to serve their master in every thing relating to the situation they have engaged themselves for. They must be respectful to their master and his family, and in their general conduct avoid actions scandalous or of bad example. They have no right to absent themselves without leave (Crawford, 1822.). They are responsible for every thing committed to their charge in the routine of their duty, but not for accidents (Campbell, 1734.). They must accompany their employer in change of residence, as long as he does not leave the kingdom (Tait, 462.). They have no right to draw nice distinctions between what comes under their duty and what does not; they cannot be employed on any duty different from the customary duties of the service they have undertaken, and this renders a specific agreement, to do what they are desired, necessary. Enlistment in Her Majesty's service frees a servant from his obligations by the Mutiny Act.—5. Wages. Should no wages be bargained for, none are due (Salton, Brown, Sup. 3, 337.). The servant has a right to leave his master, and claim wages and board-wages, should his wages not be paid at the terms agreed upon. Though a servant is engaged by the year, his wages are payable half-yearly (Tait, 465.). A servant, through sickness, disabled from doing his duty, has still a right to his wages, should no servant be got to supply his place (White, 1794.). Should the servant die between terms, wages to the time of his death will be due to his representatives. When the master dies, wages and board-wages to the next term are due, should there be no agreement for any space of time. When the servant is engaged for any specified time, wages and board-wages are due to the full time. The master's bankruptcy gives the servants the same claim. But in both these last cases, on the servant's being supplied with another place, wages only for past services are due (Tait, 465.). The master can, at any time, turn off his servant, on giving him full wages and board-wages (Cooper, 1825.). A female servant marrying and leaving her master, loses all claim for wages, and her husband is liable in damages.-6. Grounds for dismissing a servant. A servant may be dismissed for immoral conduct, disobedience, or habitual neglect of duty (Callo, 1831); for absence on Sunday, when ordered to the contrary (Hamilton, 1824.). Absence for 4 days without leave was held a sufficient cause of dismissal; and legal dismission forfeits the servant's wages (Silvie, 1830.). When either a master wishes to part with a servant, or the servant wishes to leave his situation, warning must be given 40 days before the term, otherwise the engagement is held to be renewed (M'Lean, 1813.); unless the local custom is to give no warning, then none is necessary (Morrison, 1823.). After a servant has received his wages and left his situation, he cannot say he got no warning (Baird, 1779.). It will be observed that much of what has been said applies almost exclusively to domestic servants, whether on a farm or not; the relations of out-door farm-servants with their master are so clear, that few questions arise between them, either at parting or during the course of service.-7. Character of Servants. The master is not bound to give a servant a character, either oral or written, or to assign a reason for withholding it (Carrol, 1800, 3 Esp. 201.). He will be liable in damages, when asked the character of a servant, in giving an untrue one (Bell's Prin.). He will be justified in giving one prejudicial to the servant, if true (Christian, July 6. 1818. 1 Mur. 427.); but he has no right to give out such a character publicly, without sufficient

cause.-8. Hiring Workmen. Workmen, like domestic servants, may be hired by the year, or for a shorter time, but writing is necessary for a longer period (Paterson, June 17. 1830, 6 S. D. 931.). They are bound, besides the principal engagement, to keep to certain regular hours, and observe the same respect and decency as domestic servants. They may be compelled by imprisonment to fulfil their contract (Clerk, Jan. 19. 1799, F. C.).*

(2350.) After what has been said of ploughing lea-ground (1138.), and of the mode of sowing seed upon the land by hand, fig. 378, and of the properties of different kinds of oats cultivated in this country (1935.), little requires to be added here on the sowing of oats, except the manner in which that operation is finished.

(2351.) Beans and spring-wheat are not sown upon every species of farm; the former being most profitable in deep strong soils, and the latter is only to be commended after turnips, on land in good heart, situate in a favourable locality for climate, and the crop eaten off by sheep; but oats are sown on all sorts of farms, from the strongest clay to the lightest sand, and from the highest point to which arable culture has reached on moorland soil, to the bottom of the lowest valley on the richest deposite. The extensive breadth of its culture does not, however, imply that the oat is naturally suited to all soils and situations, for its fibrous and spreading roots indicate a predilection for friable soils; but its general use as food among the agricultural population, has caused its universal culture in Scotland, while its ability to support the strength of horses, has induced its culture to be extended throughout the kingdom; and it is certainly a remarkable fact, with what admirable effect this plant has adapted itself to the various circumstances in which it is cultivated, and this result is, most probably, owing to the same food, namely, the decomposed grasses with which this plant is uniformly supplied.

(2352.) All the varieties of oats cultivated may be practically classed under 3 heads, the common, the improved, and the Tartarian. The com

The Farmer's Lawyer, pp. 160-5.

mon varieties include all those having a pyramidal spike, soft straw, long grains possessing a tendency to become awny, and which are late in reaching maturity. Among the named varieties are the following in common use: early and late Angus, Kildrummie, Blainslie, white Siberian, fig. 363, Cumberland, sandy, and Dyock, which two last are recent varieties, and others. It is unnecessary to point out the superior characteristics of each variety, for in the respective districts in which they are sown, each is considered best suited to the locality in which it is cultivated, an opinion which may safely be disputed. The four last named are in high repute at present, owing to their recent introduction; and it is probable that any recent variety will answer best for a shorter or longer period. All common oats are sown on the inferior soils, and in the most elevated fields of farms, and the season for sowing them is the beginning of March. Of the improved varieties, are, the potato oat, which has long been cultivated as the only variety; but of late years, the Hopetoun oat has been added to the short list. Before it, the Georgian was introduced, but did not succeed. Both the potato and Hopetoun oats have long strong straw, large spikes, come early to maturity, and are chiefly cultivated on the best and lowest lying ground. The grains are very similar, the Hopetoun being distinguished by a tinge of red on the bosom, fig. 362. These oats are sown a fortnight after the common. The cultivation of the Tartarian varieties, both black and white, is chiefly confined to England, for the use of horses, and are there called feed oats. I am surprised that this oat should be cultivated at this time of day, both on account of its coarseness, as well as the disagreeable work which it occasions in the barn by its long hygrometric awns.

(2353.) The ploughed lea-ground should be dry on the surface before it is sown, as otherwise it will not harrow kindly; but the proper dryness is to be distinguished from that arising from dry hard frost. It will not be proper to wait until every spot of the field is dry alike, as even thorough-draining will not insure that; though spottiness shown in spring is a good criterion whether land has been enough drained, or where it most requires it. Should the lea have been ploughed some time before, and from young grass, the furrow-slices will be found to lie close together at seed-time; but should it have been recently ploughed, or from old lea, or on stiff ground in a rather wet state, the furrow-slices will not lie close together, but be as far asunder as to allow a good deal of the seed to drop down between them, and where this happens, the seed will be lost, as oats will not vegetate from a depth of 6 or 7 inches. In all cases of lea where the furrow-slices are not close, in order to save a part of the seed, and avoid a thin crop, the ground should be harrowed a single tine before being sown. The tines of harrows should be parti

cularly sharp when used for covering in seed upon lea. When oats are sown by hand upon dry lea-ground, the grains rebound from it and dance about before depositing themselves in the hollows between the crests of the furrow-slices, and thus accommodating themselves to the form of the ground, are not so liable to be happerga'ed in sowing as other grains. Were the ground only harrowed in along the ridges, so as not to disturb the seed along the furrow-slices, the germs of the crop would come up in as regular rows as if sown by drill; but as the land receives cross-harrowing as well as along, the braird comes up broadcast, notwithstanding the position the seed assumes when it settles on the ground. The quantity of common oats sown is usually 6 bushels to the imperial acre; and in deep friable land in good heart, 5 bushels of potato. oats suffice. A man does a good day's work, if he sows broadcast 16 imperial acres of ground in 10 hours, that is, scatters 80 bushels of potato-oats and 96 bushels of common oats in that time. Some men can sow 120 bushels of common and 100 of potato in that time, that is, 20 acres ; and double-handed sowers can sow more than this latter quantity. Two sowers keep one seed-carrier fully employed, and indeed if the sacks are not conveniently placed (2193.), one will not be able to supply them both, but 2 seed-carriers will easily supply 3 sowers; and every sower employs 2 pairs of harrows breaking in after him, with a double tine. So that the number of sowers is regulated by the number of pairs of harrows that a farm can furnish. The arrangement of the labour for sowing an oatfield may be seen in fig. 378, where 2 sowers and 1 seed-carrier are represented, but the harrows of 1 sower only are shewn in view. See from (2199.) to (2203.) inclusive. After the land is broken in with a double tine, it is harrowed across with a double tine, which cut across the furrow-crests, and then along another double tine, and this quantity generally suffices. At the last harrowing the tines should be kept clean, and no stones should be allowed to be trailed along by the tines, to the manifest ribbing of the surface. On old lea, or on hard land, another single turn across or angle-ways may be required to render the land fine enough; and, on the other hand, on a free soil a single tine along after the double one cross may suffice. In short, the harrowing should be continued as long and no longer than the ground feels uniformly smooth and firm under the foot, having no hard places, or others sinking into hollows by the pressure of the foot (2209.). The head-ridges are harrowed round by themselves at last. See from (2206.) to (2210.) inclusive. The land, after the oat-seed is sown, is always water-furrowed in every open-furrow (2221.); and it should also be rolled (2220.), according to circumstances; that is, the young braird on strong land being retarded in its growth, when the earth is encrusted by rain after rolling, it is safe to leave the roll

ing of such land until the end of spring, when the crop has made a little progress, and when the weather is usually dry. Light friable land should be rolled immediately after the seed is sown and harrowed, if there is time to do it; but the rolling of one field should cause no delay to the sowing of others in dry weather. There will be plenty of time to roll the ground after the oat-seed and other urgent operations at this season are finished, and especially as rolling may be so speedily performed as described in (2220.). The cutting of gans should never be neglected in finishing off an oat-field, to carry off water along hollows or in the open-furrow beside the lowest head-ridge, as particularly described in (1137.). Oats are sown broadcast by machinery as well as by hand. The machine is the same as is used for sowing grass-seeds, and figured at fig. 372, Plate XXVI, and already described by Mr Slight in (2242.) to (2255.). As constructed at first upon two wheels, this machine, when loaded with a full complement of oat-seed, was too heavy for a horse's back, especially on going down hill; but the addition of the third wheel disposes of that objection, and I believe it is now pretty extensively employed in sowing corn.

(2354.) But oats are also sown in rows by such drill-machines as are represented in figs. 381 and 382, Plate XXVII, and described below by Mr Slight. In using drill-machines, the land should first be harrowed, à double tine along, and then a double tine across the ridges, and again a single tine along. The drill then sows the oats across the ridges, and the land is finished by harrowing a single tine also across the ridges. The water-furrowing and rolling should be executed in the manner described (2353.) for broadcast sowing. The drill seems to me not well adapted for sowing corn on lea-ground. It cannot pass through it, even after it has been well cut with the harrows, with the facility it does through ground in a soft state; and on hard ground and upon old lea, it is questionable whether the coulters can penetrate so far as to deposite the seed at a depth to be out of reach of birds and drought; and every stone in such ground being rather firmly embedded, will be apt to cause the drill to go out of its proper course, while at the same time the risk of at least of partially displacing the old uncorrupted turf will be imminent. In these latter cases I would recommend the broadcast machine or the hand in preference to the drill; and I would confine the drill in sowing oats to tender land as in the neighbourhood of towns, where it is made tender by the application of large quantities of streetmanure, and where drilling is advisable as affording a facility for cleaning the land of surface-weeds, a multitude of which, and especially wild mustard. Sinapis arvensis, are apt to spring up from the use of streetmanure. In England, however, where the drilling of grain is followed