272 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



they always should be, a less quantity will be required than where many of the grains are 

 imperfect and will fail of germination; hence, a difference should be observed in the kind of 

 wheat to be sown. A heavy sowing will generally produce lighter straw and heads, as all 

 plants when crowded thickly are more slender in growth. There is also a tendency in wheat 

 and most of the other cereals to tiller, or throw out new shoots for future growth, which 

 seems to be an effort in nature to cover the entire ground occupied. Thick sowing will gen 

 erally prevent this in a great measure ; however, if sown too thick, there is not sufficient 

 room for the growth of the plants, and not only is lighter straw the result, but, we think, it 

 also modifies in a measure the size of the kernel, as well as that of the heads, and this 

 manner of sowing will soon deteriorate the quality of the wheat. Light sowing produces a 

 strong, vigorous growth, with large, well-filled heads. We would, therefore, advise a medium 

 in quantity sown, and avoid either extreme. Mr. H. Stewart says, in giving the result of his 

 experience and observation . 



&quot;It is a fact that a field of good wheat, whatever may be its yield, bears a pretty con 

 stant number of ears per acre, and this standard number is about 1,250,000, or 250 to the 

 square yard, or 28 to the square foot. This would bring the ears over the field to within 2 

 inches of each other. Now, every farmer may know that this is possible, for it is easy to 

 grow one plant on a square foot with 28 ears on it. The 1,250,000 grains are equal to two 

 bushels, so that the amount of crop depends upon the number of grains to each ear. This 

 number varies greatly, both from the length of the ear and its contents in grains. If the ears 

 average 20 grains, the product should be 40 bushels. I have found that good wheat generally 

 carries about ten grains to the inch of ear, but that ears vary in regard to the compactness 

 with which the grain is packed in them. I have found only 50 grains in an ear of Clawson 

 wheat 7 inches long, and 40 grains in an ear of Treadwell 4 inches long, and the same in an 

 ear of Eed Mediterranean, and several others. The desirable point to be reached, then, is to 

 produce long, well-filled ears. I do not think this is possible, except with thinner sowing 

 than is usual. Two bushels of plump seed will contain 1,250,000 grains, but in not one case 

 in a hundred or in a thousand will the crop produce one ear for each grain sown, or one ear 

 for every 2^ inches each way. I once sowed a field of 13 acres with Treadwell wheat, in 

 strips, from one bushel of seed to the acre up to two bushels; there being 5 strips, increasing 

 by a peck of seed from one side, crossing these strips with others that were dressed with 

 superphosphate of lime at the rate of 100 to 300 pounds per acre, there being 5 strips also, 

 increasing by 50 pounds of fertilizers. It was all manured with 20 loads of good manure 

 and of even character. The whole field when threshed averaged 25 bushels per acre. 



The strip with 4 pecks of seed was the best of all; the ears on this averaged 7 inches in 

 length, and one ear was picked out that was nearly 9 inches long, and had 92 grains in it. 

 On this corner of the field the seed was much thinned out by a neighbor s pigeons, and 

 several stools had each 30 ears. The opposite plat produced ears not much over 2 inches 

 long, and the straw was quite thin; the ears were smaller and thinner all along this strip of 

 the field. The best were on the strip most thinly seeded. At a careful estimate, taking the 

 grains in average ears, the best of the field produced over 40 bushels per acre, and the poorest 

 not more than 15. The length of ears was so conspicuous on the thin-seeded portion, which 

 was next a public road, that many neighbors stopped and gathered liberal bunches for their 

 own use without the formality of asking for them. 



I consider this to have been a proper and useful experiment from which one could gather 

 definite knowledge, and better than those made on small plats, because it was made in regular 

 farm-work. It would have been more certain had the crop from each square of about half 

 an acre been kept separate and measured, but my object was attained as well by noting the 

 size of the ears and their contents in grains. It proved two things, one being the advantage 

 of one bushel of seed per acre, and the other was, the usefulness of 300 pounds per acre of 

 superphosphate against the other quantities.&quot; 



