394 



Heport on Wheats* 



drawn up (as it were) into strings to expose it to the air as much 

 as possible in order to rentier it light, left to rise for 20 minutes 

 or I an hour, baked and weighed next morning." The subjoined 

 tabular statement will, I think, prove the necessity of carrying out 

 all our experiments to the utmost, as otherwise great danger will 

 arise of discarding valuable sorts, merely from their being in one 

 or two instances less productive than others, which may be ac- 

 counted for from the chances of the season, or other disturbing, 

 but not sufficiently investigated, causes. Of the white breads 

 No. 6 was the whitest. No. 4 the closest, and No. 2 the lightest ; 

 of the brown, or rather that made from the reds. No. 5 was 

 the whitest and lightest : the others were much the same in colour 

 and quality. 



It will be perceived that No. 4 white was by far the most pro- 

 ductive of the trial wheats, and as Mr. Jonas, when he presented 

 this prolific seedling to me, sent me an account of its origin, 

 I think I cannot do better than insert an extract from his letter, 

 as it may encourage farmers, should they accidentally discover 

 amongst their crops ears of corn of extraordinary productiveness, 

 dissimilar to the bulk of the crop, and of apparently new habits, 

 to preserve and cultivate such more generally than they do at 

 present, for the purpose of raising valuable varieties. Mr. Jonas 

 thus wrote in September, 1841 : — " You will oblige me by 

 accepting 3 bushels of white wheat, which I have raised from a 

 single ear, and by growing it side by side with the trial-wheats of 

 Liverpool. I have no fear of the result ; but should the Liverpool 

 selected wheats be more prolific and valuable than mine, I shall 

 be highly gratified, as I should cease growing the sort I have 



