ENGLISH STRAW PLAT. 139 



cany, all of wheat; and, indeed, lam convinced that 

 no oth-sr straw is any-thing like so well calculated 

 for the purpose. Wheat straw bleaches better than 

 any other. It has that fine, pale, golden colour which 

 no other straw has ; it is much more simple, more 

 pliant than any other straw ; and, in short, this is the 

 material. I did not urge in vain. A good' quantity 

 of wheat was sowed for this purpose. A great deal 

 of it has been well harvested ; and I have the plea- 

 sure to know that several hundreds of persons are 

 now employed in the platting of straw. One more 

 year; one more crop of wheat; and another Leghorn 

 bonnet will never be imported in England. Some 

 great errors have been committed in the sowing of 

 the wheat, and in the cutting of it. I shall now, 

 therefore, availing, myself of the experience which I 

 have gained, offer to the public some observations on 

 the sort of wheat to be sowed for this purpose ; 

 on the season for sowing; on the land to be used for 

 the purpose ; on the quantity of seed, and the man- 

 ner of sowing : on the season for cutting ; on the 

 manner of cutting, bleaching, and housing; on the 

 platting ; on the knitting, and on the pressing. 



224. The SORT OF WHEAT. The Leghorn 

 plat is all made of the straw of the spring wheat. 

 This spring wheat is so called by us, because it is 

 sowed in the spring, at the same time that barley is 

 sowed. The botanical name of it is TRITICUM 

 ^STIVUM. It is a small-grained bearded wheat. 

 It has very fine straw; but experience h^s convinced 

 me, that the little brown-grained winter wheat is just 

 as good for the purpose. In short, any wheat will do. 

 I have now in my possession specimens of plat made 

 of both winter and spring wheat, and I see no differ- 

 ence at all. I am decidedly of opinion that the win- 

 ter wheat is as good as the spring wheat for the pur- 

 pose. I have plat, and I have straw both now before 

 me, and the above is the result of my experience. 



225. THE LAND PROPER FOR THE 

 GROWING OF WHEAT. The object is to have 

 the straw as small as we can get it. The lard must 



