Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/303

OAT tans : they are more or less in;- meroas, according to the heat or cold of the former season. Were it not, indeed, for the vernal show- ers, which fall at the period above mentioned, such devastations would be irreparable. Nor has any bet- ter method of destroying them been discovered, than to clear every hedge and ditch of all coarse, rough weeds, and herbage ,; for, as the latter aftord shelter to the inserts during the winter, they annually send forth a fresh stock, whi h neither fallowing nor any other at- tention can exterminate : thus, the soil is constantly infested with them, and much labour and expence are incurred, that might, with a little diligence on the part of the farmer, be elfeftually saved. All the species of oats are very hardy plants ; and, as we have al- ready observed, will tlourish on al- ijaosteyery soil. Their strong roots, striking to a considerable depth, open the earth, and thus, when ploughed in, loosen it for other ve- getables. But, though the gene- ral pra6lice is to sow uats between the months of February and June, yet they may be advantageously committed to thegrouiid late in au- tumn, especially in mountainous situations ; for they will tlius not only ripen earlier, but will be en- abled lo resist iJie violence of the equinoxial winds. Fartiier, it ap- pears that unripe seed (namely, such grain as may have been cut before it was fully ripe, in conse- quence of the approach of Irosl), if carefully dried, will, on being sown in drills, yield as good crops as corn that has attained to its full maturity. This piaclice has been isuccesstully proved by Mr. Duc- KETT; and, as it may be applied to uhcat, it promises to be attend- ODO [281- ed with the greatest advantage to faifmers in exposed situations ; as they may thus make use of their ripe grain for flour, while the tllia corn will serve for seed. When deprived of their husks, and formed into groats, oats are converted into an excellent dish for the infirm and diseased. When ground into meal, and boiled in wat'-r, they atford a thick and nou- rishing mucilage, which, with the addition of a few currants, is very wholesome, and produces a mildly laxative etfect. OCHRE, in natural history, a genus of argillaceous earths, slight- ly colierent, and composed of tine, smooth, particles, rough to the touch, and rcvidily diffusible in water. Ochres are of various colours, such as yellow, red, blue, brown, green, &c. : they possess virtues somewhat similar to the calces of iron, and are principally employed as piirments. ODOUR, is that property of bo- dies by which they atfeiSt the sen.sc of smell at a distance, whether in a pleasant or disagreeable manner. It has been ascertained by num- berless observations, that every species of animals, as well as of diseases, emits a peculiar odour; which, however, can be distin- guished only by the most refined sense. The American Indians are able to ascertain, by smell, the proximity, or distance, of their enemies ; and v hether they are white men or black. Anatomists have lately discovered, that this astonishing acuteness of smelling must be attributed to the uncom- mon size of the nostrils, which are much dilated among these nations. Thefaculty ofdistinguishing odours, doubtless has great influence upon the