1HE WHEAT CULTUK1ST. 277 



so much in size that figures expressing the number of 

 grains in a bushel only mislead and confuse a beginner. 

 I have in mind one farmer who counted the number of 

 kernels in a quart of wheat ; and from the number in 

 one quart estimated the number of grains in a bushel to 

 be 559,288. Another man made 660,000 kernels in one 

 American bushel of wheat ; and another 690,960. 



I have raised excellent wheat where only one bushel 

 of seed was sowed per acre. My practice was to sow 

 two bushels of wheat per acre ; and to drill in one and 

 a half bushels per acre. In some instances, I was satis- 

 lied that the grain stood rather too thick on the ground. 

 If the ground is rich, one bushel per acre, if put in 

 evenly with a good drill, is all the seed that should be 

 put on one acre. Every farmer should try experiments, 

 for the purpose of ascertaining how much seed will yield 

 the largest amount of grain per acre. If he can satisfy 

 himself that he can secure a large yield by putting two 

 bushels of seed on one acre, that is the quantity for him 

 to sow. The quantity of seed varies, the country 

 through. Very few farmers sow three bushels of seed 

 per acre ; and fewer still sow only one bushel. The 

 majority, I think, sow or drill in about one and a half 

 bushels per acre. Observe the quantity of seed per 

 acre, as stated by the various authors of letters on the 

 culture of wheat in various parts of the country in our 

 agricultural periodicals. 



The most sensible way to arrive at a correct conclu- 

 sion on this subject, is, to weigh the grain that grows 

 on a square yard, where the straw seems to stand very 

 thick as well as where it is thin. Every farmer must 

 study out the correct quantity of seed for his own soil. 



In order to aid beginners in their investigations of 



