208 



thin sowing, and they point to a certain field : " look here ! that field 

 was seeded at the rate of one bushel per acrel" It is certainly true that 

 many excellent crops have been raised from a very small quantity of 

 seed, but there were several circumstances to favor the growth of the 

 crop ; on these occasions, the land was rich, the seed was got in in prop- 

 er time ; the soil was perfectly fie& from weed?, and the wheat having 

 no enemies to encounter tillered out on all sides and produced a good 

 crop. 



On the other hand, when we take into account the numerous ene- 

 mies that wheat has to encounter, and the misfortunes which generally 

 fall on a thin crop, we think that thick sowing is by far the best and 

 safest manafjement. 



Plow often have we seen thick crops ripen well and come to perfec- 

 tion in proper time, whilst thin miserable crops have remained unripe 

 and fallen a prey to rust and mildew and destructive insects? 



In Blackie's treaties on mildew, the following experiments are recor- 

 ded as havii g been tried in the fields of a celebrated wheat grower, the 

 late Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, England. 



The first was in a thirty acre field, the seed was sown in autumn on 

 a stale furrow, after a clover ley, two drill machines started at the same 

 lime in the middle of the field, one drill worked towards the west and 

 the other towards the east, both drill-men received the same directions, 

 namely, to sow four bushels per acre, one of them deposited the seed 

 correctly, the other being a young practitioner guaged his drill wrong, 

 and deposited three bushels per acre. The result was, the /our bushel 

 seeding escaped mildew and produced an excellent crop, whilst the three 

 bushel part did not ripen in time, was attacked by mildew, and produ- 

 ced an inftjiior crop, and was the only thin wheat, and the only damag- 

 ed crop on Mr. Cuke's farm. 



The other experiment was in a thirty acre field, sown in the same 

 manner; a new dr'll was put to work on this field, and the man received 

 instructions to sow four bushels per acre; but the blacksmith had 

 guaged the dri'l wrong, and the man deposited five bushels per acre. 

 The misbike was discovered and corrected after the first day's work, and 

 the remainder of the field was finished at the rate of four bushels per 

 acre. 



This accidental experiment was exhibited at the following sheep 



