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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



too wet to be worked, and often has to lie a consi- 

 derable time before it is again ready for drilling ; 

 whereas the use of one of these press-drills admits 

 of the ground being pressed, sown, and harrowed 

 close after the plough, whereby an early and good 

 seedtime is secured. 



Another important condition at the time of sow- 

 ing is the degree of moisture present in the land. 

 Upon clay soils I consider the seed should be sown 

 whilst the land is as dry as possible ; it will be 

 sure to receive moisture from the fall of rain, but 

 wetness in the land causes the particles of the soil 

 to bind together, to the prejudice of the crop. As 

 the soils get lighter there is less objection to work- 

 ing them when wet ; in some cases, indeed, this 

 becomes necessary, in order to give them the re- 

 quired firmness. It is not often in the south of 

 England that a wet time is selected for sowing; 

 but, when rain comes on after the work has com- 

 menced, I have known it to be continued until the 

 soil was quite muddy, and yet no disadvantage has 

 resulted; on the contrary, the plant has proved 

 firmer on the portion sown wet than upon any 

 other part. This, which may be safe upon one 

 soil, will often be very injurious upon another ap- 

 parently of the same character. Soils which have 

 a sufficient proportion of sand or grit intermixed 

 with them are thus preserved from that adhesion 

 of the particles of the soil which would take place 

 in stronger land, so that, in their case, the germi- 

 nation of the seed is but little delayed, whilst the 

 treading of the land when wet gives it a greater 

 degree of firmness, and this is favourable to the 

 stability of the plant. The line which appears to 

 separate those soils which are injured from those 

 which are benefited by being worked when moist, 

 is the proportion of sand or grit which the soil 

 contains, and also the condition of the clayey mat- 

 ter with which it is mixed ; and this can at present 

 only be safely decided by local experience. 



The rules which regulate the quantity of seed- 

 wheat to be sown to the acre are simply these : — 

 the early sowings require less seed, whilst for the 

 later sowings the quantity should be gradually in- 

 creased ; and, again, as the soil and climate be- 

 come more favourable to the growth of wheat, less 

 seed becomes necessary. The first sowings will 

 take 5 or 6 pecks of seed to the acre, whereas the 

 latest will reach up to S pecks, and upon poor land 

 it will range from 7 to 10 pecks ; local experience 

 must here also be called in, to decide as to the time 

 of sowing, for it is impossible to lay down any 

 definite rule which can be taken as a safe guide. 

 That comprehensive word climate seems to regu- 

 late this point; for neitlier the character of the soil, 

 proximity to the sea, elevation, nor any other in- 

 dividual influence, decides the practice, but that 

 peculiar knowledge which renders local experience 

 alone worthy of confidence.* 



* If all that really constitutes climate could be 

 duly taken into account, including excess of dry- 

 ness on dry soils, of wetness on heavy soils, pro- 

 longed exposure to keen winds, alternation of hot 

 days and frosty nights, sudden burst of summer 

 weather, &c., with due allowance for the mechani- 

 cal defects of the soil, its susceptibility under 



The months of October and Novembei' embrace 

 the sowings of our principal wheat-districts, but 

 we must extend our time from the middle of Sep- 

 tember to the end of the year to include all the 

 sowings of autumn wheat. Exposed situations, 

 which require a strong and well-rooted plant to 

 withstand the winter storms, require an early sow- 

 ing and a liberal seeding, and so also do soils upon 

 which growth is slow from any other cause. The 

 milder district of the West of England permits 

 the sowing of autumn wheat to be carried on as 

 late as the end of December, for the almost un- 

 checked growth of the winter enables the plant 

 even then to get quite forward enough for making 

 a good start in the spring. 



The influence of soil upon the quantity of seed 

 is accounted for by the fact, that on rich land 

 more stems will be throvvn up from each root, than 

 if the soil be poor ; and to make up this deficiency, 

 and also to enable the crop more thoroughly to 

 search for nutriment in the land, more plants are 

 necessary ; and a larger allowance of seed is the 

 consequence. 



The depth most desirable for the germination of 

 seed- wheat depends upon the closeness or adhesive 

 character of the soil. The seed should be placed 

 in that position which will secure to it such a sup- 

 ply of moisture, warmth, and air, as will most 

 rapidly promote healthy germination. It is clear 

 that these conditions cannot be secured in soils of 

 a diflferent texture at one uniform depth. 



Upon loamy soils of medium character we find 

 the depth of about 1 inch superior to any other, 

 but as the soil becomes lighter and more sandy in 

 its nature the depth may be advantageously in- 

 creased to 1 4 or 2 inches. In a dry season, a less 

 depth than 1 inch can seldom be looked upon as 

 sufficient to secure to the seed a necessary degree 

 of moisture ; and a greater depth than 2 inches is 

 not desirable, because the plant has then gene- 

 rally to raise itself in the soil so that its roots may 

 commence their duties within a moderate distance 

 of the surface. The mode of ploughing in seed- 

 wheat with a 31 or 4-inch furrow is clearly wrong, 

 for the wheat will not establish its roots in the soil 

 at this depth, and the germination must necessarily 

 be delayed in consequence of this increased depth. 

 If I make any difference in the depth of seed upon 

 soils of this character, I let the early sown wheat 

 be deposited rather deeper than that which may be 

 sown later, and my reason is, because the early 

 sowings have plenty of time for making their 

 growth, and, thertfore,'a full depth ensures a firmer 

 root, whereas with late sowings this delay cannot 

 be allowed, for the young wheat will then gain 

 more by appearing more quickly above the ground; 

 but even these variations in depth should not 

 range more than half an inch either way. The 

 lighter the soil becomes, the more important it is 



changes of temperature, and its limited straw- 

 producing power, as well as for possible injury 

 from birds and insects, we might then base our 

 practice on knowledge rather than experience, but 

 the result would not be successful, if any one ele- 

 ment had been overlooked in our calculation. — 

 P. H. F. 



