202 THE RING OF NATURE 



the fat grain to ashes and corruption. But we 

 seldom try to compute the potential bushels that 

 go to feed those brilliant robbers, the poppies and 

 the purple knautias that dance so shamelessly 

 above the level of the golden ears. Their beauty 

 rejoices the eyes of the farmer less than ours, 

 because they are unbidden guests. They creep 

 into the corn-field by all manner of means. Some 

 are sown with the seed, and these have a perfect 

 knack of keeping step with the legitimate crop, 

 ripening their seed at the same time so as to be 

 carried into the granary with it and, unless the 

 winnowing and sifting has been very elaborate, 

 to be carried out of the granary with it in the 

 seed sample and placed in the field under the best 

 of all conditions for a renewal of the cycle. 



The weed seed that is left on the stubble at 

 harvest runs a very good chance of being swallowed 

 by the birds under autumn and winter appetite, 

 of being buried too deep under the ploughing, of 

 germinating too quickly and then getting dried 

 up or frozen, or of fermenting into decay instead 

 of into life. Those who have planted seeds in 

 boxes know how many are the chances even 

 under these conditions of something going wrong. 

 But the seeds that go out with the wheat are sown 

 just when the seed-bed is ready, and are given 

 every chance, according to the skill of the farmer, 

 to grow into good healthy weeds. 



When the miller receives wheat for grinding, 

 his first operation is to clean it of other seeds, 



