106 Rej)ort on Sprincj-sown Wheats in 1873. 



Tlie extent of land left unsown until the spring, in this neighbourhood, 

 might be put down at one-quarter of the acreage intended to be sown ; and 

 much that was sown was destroyed, and had to be ploughed and patched 

 lip with wheat and spring cereals, as will be stated below. 



About one-half of the land left unsown with wheat in the autumn was sown 

 with wheat in the spring of 1873, and in most cases autumn wheats, the 

 " Scotch Brown " and the variety called the " Square-headed " — the latter, a 

 very productive sort, as you will see by the letters I have sent you — being the 

 kinds most used. 



There was a little April wheat — the Bearded Red — sown in this neighbour- . 

 hood last spring ; but I hear from a friend, who has tried it well, that it seldom 

 yields more than from 18 to 24 bushels per acre. 



The kinds of wheat most sown on the various soils of this district are Scotch 

 Brown, Woolly-eared alias Velvet-chaff, alias Eough-chaff White, Golden 

 Drop, Browick Red, and the Square-headed wheat. (See Fig. 3, page 102.) 



Scotch Brown is a long-strawed wheat ; quality of grain very similar to the 

 Fenton. It is much liked by some occupiers of peaty land ; and some strong- 

 land farmers like it because on such land it rarely gets laid, except after 

 through-fallows, and it grows of rather better quality than the general run of 

 reds. The quality of the Scotch Brown is very similar indeed to the 

 " Fenton," but it is longer in the straw than Mr. Hope's wheat, and does not, 

 on our land, stand up or yield nearly so well. 



Woolly-eared (Velvet-chaff or Eough-chaff) White is grown by some on 

 account of its being prolific and of good quality ; but 1 discontinued growing 

 it because of its being unable either to keep erect or yield anything like the 

 Square-headed. 



The Golden Drop Wheat was very popular about a quarter of a century ago, 

 but has been little heard of for many years, imtil the last three or four seasons 

 among a few persons, who have got some of Major Hallett's Selected ; but not 

 having grown it myself, I cannot say more than that the samples of it I have 

 seen are of nice quality for red wheat ; but I have not heard of more than the 

 average yield of red wheats. 



Spalding Red flourished about the same time as the last-named kind ; but 

 it, like the Golden Drop, had to succumb to its more popular descendant, the 

 Browick Red. 



Browick Red. For ten of the past fifteen years, no other wheat has held so 

 high a position with the wheat-growing community of this district, or has 

 been so largely cultivated, as the Browick. 



For the last five years the cultivation of the Browick Red has gradually 

 decreased ; and although the Square-headed was unknown save in the village 

 where it was discovered, until 1868, yet there was last season, within a radius 

 of seven to ten miles from this centre, as much of this variety grown as of 

 nearly every other variety put together. I have grown it side by side with 

 several sorts in 1870. I had the pleasure of seeing it beat the lot, and yield 91 

 quarters pqr statute acre. This year I tried it against the Browick Red, and, 

 although the latter produced the greatest bulk of straw, the Square-headed 

 won the trial by 664 lbs., or 10 [ ? 11] bushels 4 lbs. per acre. 



I sent you a few of a mmiber of Reports I have received from gentlemen 

 who got Square-headed seed of me last autumn. [Mr. Scholey adds the 

 names of some of his neighbours who have reaped large yields — Mr. Belton 

 having reaped 8 quarters per acre throughout a field of 60 acres ; Mr. Pindar, 

 9 quarters over a field of 20 acres ; Mr, Ross, 9| quarters round the farm ;. and 

 Mr. Brownlow, 10^ quarters.] 



Fenton wheat is a variety well deserving the attention of growers, and I 

 intend giving it further trials. 



We manure heavily for potatoes with farmyard and bought dung, with a 



