60 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



157. The qualities desirable in Wheat may be thus shortly 

 enumerated : Straw of medium length and size, not apt to fall 

 down, to be attacked by insects or rust, nor killed by frost or 

 wet ; able to stool out or tiller, so that each grain gives several 

 roots and stalks. The heads long, well filled ; the chaff ad 

 hering to the grain so that it does not easily shell : the kernel 

 white, flinty, solid and large, with thin bran, and yielding a 

 white homogeneous flour in large quantity of first quality ; the 

 skin elastic, not breaking up into small particles in grinding, and 

 filling the flour with specks of bran so small as to be incapable 

 of fceperation ; not apt to sprout if necessarily exposed to wet 

 after harvesting ; germinating rapidly, and growing steadily af 

 ter sowing. Any wheat that united all these qualities would 

 be nearly perfect. 



158. Wheat is expected to weigh sixty pounds to the Amer 

 ican bushel. The crop varies from eight to sixty bushels to the 

 acre; the average throughout the United States is between 

 twelve and fifteen bushels per acre. Occasionally a bushel of 

 wheat will weigh as high as sixty-six pounds. 



The American Bushel contains, ... 2,150.42 cubic inches. 



The English (Imperial) Bushel contains - 2,218.192 



The English quarter of Wheat is eight Imperial Bushels of 70 Ibs. 



each, equal to 9} -3 American Bushels of 60 Ibs. each. Wheat is sold in 



the States by the Bushel of 60 Ibs. In England by the quarter of 560 Ibs. 



159. Ultimate ANALYSIS of Wheat grown at Bechelbronn, 

 1837. ( Boussingault.) 



Carbon, 46.10 48.48 4838 



Hydrogen, 5.80 5.41 5.21 



Oxygen, 43.40 38.79 39.09 



Nitrogen, .... 2.29 0.35 0.35 



Ash, 2.41 6.97 6.97 



10000 100.00 100.00 

 160. The composition of Wheat varies greatly according to 



