iZz EXPERIMENTS ON WHEAT, Partll- 



" 7. This obfervatlon led me to another. I was greatly furprifed 

 one day to find my ftalks juft as I had left them the day before. The 

 next day, and the day after, I found them flill the fame : in fhort, 

 they grew no longer from that time. 



" So fudden a change raifed my ciiriofity greatly, and I refolved 

 to find out the caufe of it. The time when they ceafed to grov/,was 

 immediately after they had done bloffoming. I judged that from 

 that time all the lap was conveyed to the ear to form the grains of 

 the wheat, and that the reft of the plant had only what was necef- 

 fary to prevent its drying too foon. This difpenfation of the nutri- 

 tive juices feemed to me very remarkable : all their forces feem then to 

 unite, in order to form, fill, and ripen the grain, which is the moft ufeful 

 jpart. I was afterwards confirmed in this, by obferving that it was 

 from that very time that the ftalks and blades began infenfibly to lofe 

 their deep green colour, and that this green grew lighter and lighter 

 every day : a fure fign of a diminution of fap in thofe parts. 



*' 8. It is likewife of very great importance to know which is the 

 mofl: proper time for fowing lands : for the growth of plants depends 

 greatly on this circumftance. Late fowings have not anfwered : but 

 the early ones have produced plants, whofe vigour has enabled them 

 the better to refift the winter's cold, and to branch out the more 

 abundantly. By attending to this circumftance, the farmer will 

 enjoy the defirable advantage of having his corn ripen early, and of 

 its being lefs expofed to the dangers of the fummer fealbn ; for we 

 have feen that the wheat which was fowed firft in the new method, 

 ripened thoroughly as foon as that which was fowed in the old way. 

 It is proper to know this, in order to be fenfible of the neceffity of 

 beginning to plow early, that the feed may be fowed in due time. 



"9.1 muft beg leave to make a few retlecftions again this year on 

 the quantity of feed moft proper to be fown. It is of the utmoft 

 importance to know how to proportion the quantity of the feed to 

 the ftrength and richnefs of the foil, fo that each may have its due 

 proportion. The experiments already made, help to direct us j but 

 I think others llill neceilary before we can trult ablblutely to our 

 knowledge in this point. 



" At prefent, I fhall only advife fowing the fame quantity of feed 

 that I did in 1752. I fancy that proportion will not differ greatly 

 from what a longer practice will fliew to be the beft. However, 

 the fame quantity of feed will not do for every foil. It muft be va- 

 ried with judgment, and regulated according to the circumftances of 



the 



