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safer and more proper course is to Lave the facts made out first, so that \k\^fact 

 being first clearly established, the causes may then be investigated, and the 

 benefit of the knowledge of them be made available to increase the wheat crops. 

 We would urge, therefore, our fiirmers to experiments like that given in the 

 letter. If the result stated in it is found not to be accidental, but in conformity 

 to the nature of the growth of the wheat plant, it will readily be seen to how 

 many useful purposes it could be applied. The casualties arising, from freezing 

 in and out, to the crop of winter wheat, are great, but these could be met by 

 cross-drilling, in the spriug, winter wheat prepared after the manner suggested 

 in the letter. Or, in districts where spring wheat will not yield a profitable 

 return, a portion of the crop might be left unsown until spriug, and then put in 

 with the prepared seed, and in this manner avoid the casualties of winter. But 

 here is the letter : 



Mantorville, Dodge Co., Minnesota. 



Dear Sir : The wheat which I obtained from the Department of Agriculture, 

 known as the bald Mediterranean, came to hand some time during the mooth of 

 February, 1864. It being too late in the season to sow it, being winter wheat, 

 and wishing to determine its value as soon as possible, the thought occurred to 

 me that by sprouting it, and subjecting it to the action of frost for a length of 

 time, I might possibl} succeed in raising a partial crop, at least, that season. 

 My expectations were more than realized, as the product was at the rate of 

 forty bushels and three quarts per acre. The experiment is as follows : 



I took a little more than one-half of the package, which contained about one 

 quart, reserving the rest for a second trial the coming fall, in case of a failure 

 in the experiment, and placing it in a dish, I poured warm water upon it until 

 the wheat was covered a half inch in depth. In this it remained until the 

 greater part of the water was absorbed, when it was removed from the dish 

 and put into a small bag and placed in a hot-bed frame on top of the soil. 

 Here it remained thirty-six hours, when it was examined and found to be suffi- 

 ciently sprouted ; the root sprouts being from one to one and a half inches in 

 length, and the stem or leaf sprout from one-fourth to one-half an inch in length. 

 I WDuld here remark that my thermometer had been accidentally broken a short 

 time previous to the commencement of the experiment, and that I Avas without 

 the means of determining the exact number of degrees of heat or cold that was 

 employed throughout the experiment, but each person can probably form an 

 opinion near enough for all practical purposes. The water that was used to soak 

 the wheat in contained about 120 degrees of heat, (Fahrenheit.) The number of 

 degrees of heat within the hot-bed frame was about sixty. After the wheat was 

 sprouted, as before stated, it was removed from the hotbed and placed upon and 

 slightly covered with snow, where it remained four days, the mercury in that 

 time, as I was informed, sinking as Ioav as zero. It was then placed again 

 in a hotbed frame, where it remained about twelve hours, when it was exam- 

 ined and found to be uninjured. It was then placed on top of the snow, 

 where it was left ten days, the weather being warm enough to thaw in the 

 middle of the day, most of the time, and during the last four days all of the 

 time. While there the wheat was frequently turned in order to keep it moist 

 throughout. 



When it was sowed the sprouts seemed to be about in the same condition 

 that they were in when first removed from the hotbed. The wheat was sown 

 broadcast on land that had been ploughed in the month of September, pre- 

 viously. The soil had been covered formerly by a hazel thicket, on the edge 

 2 A 



