VARIETIES OF WHEAT. 357 



ever, that Slierriff's is a valuable variety, and, in some cases, on 

 certain soils, may come well up to, if not surpass, its more estab- 

 lished competitors. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF WHEAT 



LN 1864 AND i860. 



By John Richardson, DrylawMLl, PrestonMrk, East Lothian. 



[Premium — Fifteen Sovere igns. ] 



ceop 1864. 



1. The soil a heavy loam, with a retentive subsoil. The pre- 

 vious crop, potatoes, manured on the stubble with farmyard 

 manure, and a mixture of guano and bones in drill. The pota- 

 toes, owing to the dry season, were a light crop, and no addi- 

 tional manure was given to the wheat. 



2. Four imperial acres were measured off a part of the field 

 where the soil was uniform in quality. Each acre was surrounded 

 by an open space which was kept free of weeds, and used as a 

 footpath throughout the season. 



3. The four varieties of wheat, as named in the Tables, had 

 been exhibited at the Haddington show of seed wheat, and were 

 the best parcels that could be obtained of their respective kinds 

 in East Lothian. 



4. On the 20th of October, the seeds were hand-sown, at the 

 rate of two bushels and three pecks per acre, having been pre- 

 viously dressed with sulphate of copper. The sowers were tested 

 as to quantity of seed before sowing the experimental acres. 



5. The wheats appeared above ground on the 17th November, 

 and all equal in thickness, and got through winter and spring 

 without loss of plant. 



6. All the varieties came into ear about the 15th of June, 

 growing and ripening together, and were cut down on the 21st 

 and 22d of August. From the thickness of plant and the warmth 

 and dryness of summer, circumstances have been unfavourable 

 to displaying the peculiarities of earing and ripening of the dif- 

 ferent wheats, but in these respects they do not differ much in 

 any season. Although little rain fell during the ripening of the 

 crops, Hunter's became slightly lodged, while the others remained 

 erect. 



7. On the 17th February, 1865, samples of the different 

 wheats were laid before competent judges, who valued them per 



