THE POSSIBILITIES OF AGRICULTURE. 



101 



periments on Major Hallett's method, and he obtained 

 similar results. " In a proper soil," he wrote, " one 

 single grain of wheat can give as much as fifty stems 

 (and ears), and even more, and thus cover a circle thir- 

 teen inches in diameter." * But as he seems to know 

 how difficult it often is to convince people of the plainest 

 facts, he published the photographs of separate wheat 

 plants grown in different soils, differently manured, 

 including pure river sand enriched by manure. t He 





FIG. 6. Squares at Professor Grandeau's experimental station, planted 

 with grains of wheat, in three different soils ; a, pure sand ; b and 

 c, manured arable soil ; each grain 12 inches apart. 



concluded that under proper treatment 2000 ana even 

 4000 grains could be easily obtained from each planted 

 grain. The seedlings, growing from grains planted ten 

 inches apart, cover the whole space, and the experiment 



* L. Grandeau, Etudes agronomiques, 30 se'rie, 1887-8, p. 43. This 

 series is still continued by one volume every year. 



f On one of these photographs one sees that in a soil improved by 

 chemical manure only, seventeen stems from each grain are obtained; 

 with organic manure added to the former, twenty-five stems were obtained. 

 Reproduced by the courtesy of the Co-operative Wholesale Society. 



