56 SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS 



ties. In general the highest yields have seldom been made 

 with less than 5 pecks of seed, and usually 6 pecks or more 

 per acre have afforded larger yields than have smaller 

 quantities of seed. 



The earlier the sowing and the better prepared the land, the 

 smaller may be the quantity of seed. Varieties with large seed 

 require a greater number of pecks per acre. The richer the soil 

 the greater the number of plants that an acre will provide with 

 food and moisture, and also the greater, with early sowing, will 

 be the amount of tillering. While no general rule is universally 

 applicable, a safe average amount is 5 pecks per acre for drilling 

 and 6 pecks for broadcast sowing. 



58. Large versus medium and small seed. (See 47.) 

 In numerous experiments in Europe and America com- 

 parisons have been made between the large and the small 

 seed of wheat, as separated by sieves, and ordinary seed. 

 The results have been variable. Apparently it pays to 

 select the largest grains by means of sieves or other devices 

 connected with fanning machines, provided a larger 

 volume of the larger seed be sown, so as to afford the same 

 number of plants as a smaller weight of lighter seed. Sep- 

 aration of seed by this means is especially important in the 

 South, where small and shrunken grains frequently occur, 

 often as the result of injury by rust. 



However, to improve a variety one must not rely ex- 

 clusively on sowing the larger grains. Not all of these 

 occur on the best plants, and it is the entire parent 

 plant, rather than an individual seed, that determines 

 the character of the offspring. Fanning and screen- 

 ing should be practiced with the general crop, but to 

 improve wheat, rapidly there is also needed a special 



