STEEPING SEEDS. 115 



height ; but should there even be some reason in the objection, 

 the result might be modified by a modification of the process. 

 The tallest oats were prepared from sulphate of ammonia, 

 and I am convinced, from experiment, that the addition of a por 

 tion, say one half, of sulphate of soda, or sulphate of potass, 

 would so modify the growth as to make the stalks moderately 

 high, and at the same time preserve the superior productiveness 

 of the seed. 



&quot; The barley, which, you may perhaps recollect, consisted of an 

 average of ten stems from one seed, and thirty-four grains on 

 each stem, was the produce of seeds steeped in nitrate of ammo 

 nia. I may mention that the best illustration of the comparative 

 productiveness of prepared and unprepared seed was exhibited by 

 the contrast of wheat, sown 5th July, which, by the 10th of 

 August, the last day of the show, presented the following results : 

 the prepared seeds had tillered into nine, ten, and eleven stems ; 

 the unprepared into only two, three, and four : and both were from 

 the same sample of seed, and sown in the same soil, side by 

 side. 



&quot; The various salts above specified were made by me from 

 their carbonates, and were exactly neutralized. I then added 

 from eight to twelve measures of water. The time of steeping 

 varied from fifty to ninety-four hours, at a temperature of about 

 60 Fahrenheit. 



&quot; Barley, I found, does not succeed with more than sixty 

 hours steeping. Rye-grass, and other cultivated grasses, may 

 do very well with from sixteen to twenty hours ; but clovers will 

 not do with more than eight or ten hours, for, being bilobate, 

 the seeds are apt to burst in swelling. 



&quot; On the 16th ultimo, I caused four cart-loads of earth, dug 

 from about six feet under the surface, to be laid over tilly ground, 

 and spread there, and in this virgin soil, totally destitute of any 

 organic matter, I sowed seeds of oats and barley prepared in 

 seven different ways j but, having to leave on the 3 1st, I could 

 not form a correct estimate of the comparative progress of the 

 seeds, as the season is far advanced, and vegetation slow ; 

 but, if in health, I shall revisit the place in October, and 

 shall then be able to judge better of the result. Along 

 with the prepared seeds, I sowed also some unprepared, both 

 in the virgin soil and in pure sand. They had all sprung 



