WHEAT. 



273 



12 

 16 

 32 



48 

 64 

 80 



72 

 108 

 144 

 288 

 432 

 576 

 720 



The quantity of seed to be sown to the acre is a question of great importance to the 

 farmer, since it influences to so great an extent the quantity and quality of the product; there 

 are, however, two important considerations in connection with it, as has previously been inti 

 mated, the first being the anticipated productiveness or quality of the soil, and the second the 

 yield of the variety to be sown. 



The following table shows the number of grains upon a square foot, yard, and acre at 

 certain quantities : 



Grains per eq. foot. Grains per sq. yard. Grains per acre. 



4 36 . 174,2401 peck. 



348,4802 pecks. 



522.7203 pecks. 



696,9601 bushel. 



1,393,9202 bushels. 



2,090,8803 bushels. 



2,787,8404 bushels. 



3,428,8005 bushels. 



By marking a square foot of space upon a board or paper, and then dividing it into four 

 equal squares, and placing a grain of wheat in the center of each square, it will readily be 

 seen how much space will be appropriated to each grain of wheat when sown at the rate of 

 one peck to the acre. By placing two grains in each square, twice this quantity, or a half 

 bushel per acre, would be indicated ; four grains, one bushel per acre, and so on. Some grains 

 may fail to germinate, therefore due allowance should be made for this in deciding upon the 

 quantity to be sown. &quot; Divide a square foot of surface into sixteen squares, each of which 

 contains nine superficial inches, and place a grain in the center of each square, and it will give 

 one bushel of wheat to the acre. If any person will examine his winter wheat, he will find that 

 if the plant have a vigorous growth, each seed fully stooled covers more space than it would 

 find in the area of nine inches. Put two grains of oats to each square, and it will give two 

 bushels to the acre. Make three to each square, and there will be three bushels of seed to 

 the acre. . 



English wheat -growers seed more heavily than those of this country, as a general practice. 

 Such a crowding of the land with the plants as will have a tendency to prevent proper 

 development of the heads should of course be avoided, but the ground should be well occu 

 pied when active growth commences. In sowing winter wheat, a noted English authority 

 says : &quot; The best results are secured by using two bushels per acre for the sowing made early 

 in October, and by increasing this quantity at the rate of half a peck per week, until three 

 bushels is reached, which may be held as a maximum. Less than this should not be used 

 from the middle of November to the end of the season.&quot; This quantity would be quite in 

 excess of that used by American farmers generally. 



As a general rule, the quantity to be sown will be from one to one and a half bushels per 

 acre if drilled, and from one and three-fourths to two bushels if broadcast; this to be modi 

 fied according to circumstances, such as quality of soil, productiveness of variety sown, etc. 



Sowing. This may be done either broadcast or in drills, the latter being by far the 

 better and improved method, and will, in all probability, soon supersede broadcast sowing, 

 where it has not already, wherever the land is in suitable condition to admit of it. Its 

 advantage over broadcast sowing consists in distributing and covering the seed more 

 evenly, and putting it in at proper distances; this method also requires less seed, and 

 admits of after-cultivation, insuring a stronger and heavier growth of grain, besides the 

 grain grows more uniformly, the heads being all about of a height, and ripening about 

 the same time. It is comparatively of recent date that farmers have learned that after-cultiva 

 tion will pay in the wheat-field, and that there is nothing of greater promise to grain- 

 growers in this direction than the stirring of the soil between the rows of wheat and 

 killing the weeds that obstruct and retard its growth. Cultivation is, of course, only 

 possible where the grain is in regular rows, and regularity of sowing is only 



