in euimatL i the tliin sown as far below that which 

 had ?. mor.; liberal quimtity of seed. 



* From t. s accompany iiijj paper thou wilt see that 

 I took the )ppoi1 unity also of making a comparison 

 between t.ie produce of wheat sown by hand or 

 broadcast, and that sown by the drill ; the quantities 

 of land as well as of seed being equal, the result 

 shows in favor of the former a'J compared with drill- 

 ing in rows six inches apart, but against it as com- 

 pared with drilling in rows nine inches apart. The 

 difference of produce between Nos. 2 and 3 has sur- 

 prised me, having previously held an opinion that 

 the plants could not be too equally distributed over 

 the surface ; and, therefore, that smaller intervals be- 

 tween the rows was best. VVitli the view of Hying 

 if this was occasioned by any accidental circum- 

 stances, I propose to repeat the experiments of Nos. 

 ],2, anda 



"If ihou thinkest the statement at all likely to in- 

 terest any of thy friends, I wish thee to use thy liber- 

 ty in showing it. 



"Account of Produce from equal Quantities of Land 

 (about half an acre) sown with ditVerenl Quantities 

 of Wheat, or in dilferent Manners. 



qrs. btl.pks. qts. 

 No. I. Sown broadcast, at the rate of 

 eight pecks per acre. 



Wheat, best 2 12 7 



do. tail ■ 2 .5 



Total r~2 2 i 4~ 



No. II. Drilled in rows, six inches 

 apart, at eight pecks per acre. 



Wheat, beat 2 1 2 Oi 



do. tail .yO 2 4| 



Total 7~2 2 5" 



No. III. Drilled in rows nine inches 

 apart, at eight pecks per acre. 



Wheat, best 2 2 7i 



do. tail ■ 2 6.V 



Total 7~2 2 3 5J 



No. 4. Drilled in rows nine inches 

 apart, at seven pecks per acre. 



Wheat, best 2 1 3 Oi 



do. taU ■ 2 5i 



Total 2 2 1 5^ 



No. V. Drilled in rows nine inches 

 apart, at six pecks per acre. 



Wheat, best 2 2 4i 



do. taU - 3 4t 



Total 2 12 0} 



" N. B. — The comparison between Nos. I. and II. is 



in favor of broadcast sowing over the narrow drilling. 



Between I. and II. is in favor of wide drilling over 



the broadcast. 



U. and III. is in favor of that drilled at 



greater distance. 

 III. IV. and V. is in favor of the greatest 

 quantity of seed. 

 "That dibbling should be preferable to drilling ex- 

 perience has long shown, could the difficulty be over- 

 come of irregularity in the quantity of grains de- 

 posited : whoever shall discover an instrument that 

 will produce that regularity will be a benefactor to 

 his countr>-, and would no doubt be well rewarded by 

 the Royal Agricultur;il Society, as at least two pecks 

 per acre of seed might be saved with benefit to the 

 crop." 



ON THE BEST METHOD OF FEEDING SHEEP. 

 Communicated by a first-rate farmer resident in Buck- 

 inghnnutltire: 



"I last year folded 400 sheep upon turnips, part 

 Swedes, part Norfolks, and part Tancreds, the crop 

 averaging about 20 tons per acre. To each sheep I 

 gave daily half a pint of tick (horse) beans and half 

 a pound of oil-cake (Ensilish). The sheep did well. 

 I never lost so few before. The bindinc quality of 

 the beans seemed to be neutralized by the aperient 

 quality of the cake. The sheep got fat surprisingly 

 fast, and the return greater than I had ever before 

 experienced. I sowed the same land this year with 

 barley, and although a thin, rather hungry soil, my 

 crop averages six quarters (48 bushels) per acre of 

 (9211 



prime quality. The land is what is considered ISs. 

 per acre land,* incapable of any other improvement 

 than is attainable by manure and judicious cropping. 

 On the Siime land in former courses, giving the sheep 

 com only, I sometimes lo.?t from two to four in a 

 score. The manure from the keep was comparative- 

 ly poor, and the succeeding crop of barley seldom 

 exceeded three quarters and a half to the acre ; my 

 sheep being also of less value by several shillings a 

 head than they are this year, iificr allowing for the 

 ditl'erence in prices now and last year. In both cases 

 my expenses were neajly the same." 

 ON THE POTATO CHOP. 



Having: for .several years bad the management 

 of a considerable number of field-gardens in this 

 7)ari.sb, let to the laboring classes, and Potatoes 

 being cultivated in ibis and tbe adjoining par- 

 ishes extensively for sale, my attention has been 

 drawn to the mode of growing and preserving 

 tbem for use in tbe winter sea.son, and lately, 

 more especially so, from tbe unusual degree of 

 injury which tbe crop has suffered from the cold, 

 wet weather experienced at tbe early part of 

 the season, and the extreme cold of the last week 

 of July and early part of August ; to which cir- 

 cumstances alone I attribute the pre-^cnt defec- 

 tive state of tbe crop of some kinds of Potatoes, 

 that is, tbe older kinds, as Goldfindens, Sliaws, 

 Champiou.s, and others ; whilst tbe seedling kinds 

 have, comparatively, received but little injurj-. 



It is, I conceive, with Potatoes as with some 

 of the fruits, such as the golden pippin, styer, 

 &o., and tbe breeding in and in of animals, as 

 well of tbe two-legged as of tbe four-legged 

 kinds; that each succeeding generation becomes 

 weaker and weaker, and are more subject to 

 disease than those resulting from good seed and 

 good crosses. The crops, and fruits, and ani- 

 mals have stronger constitutions, and are capa- 

 ble of resisting attacks of disea.se wliicii pover- 

 ty of blood from the causes referred to never 

 fails to engender: hence every encovragemcnt 

 should be given to the raising of Potatoes from 

 seed, rather than from worn-out tub(;r8 ; and 

 hence I am of opinion, that tbe Royal Agricul- 

 tural [and all America] Society would do well 

 to offer premiums for tbe hatf seedling Potatoes 

 [and fruits, as we have before urged] to be ex- 

 hibited at their country shows in succeeding 

 years. 



The proximate cause of the disease this year 

 was, I conceive, tbe pulpy state of tbe tubers 

 ami of the haulm, caused by tbe wet season 

 and tbe cold, bordering upon, if not actual frost, 

 at the end of .July. By checking tiic free flow 

 of tbe sap juices to tbe tubers, the iiaulm be- 

 came black, and died away ; and the tubers, 

 having been deprived of their nece.s.«arj' food to 

 ensure tbe requisite degree of perfection, be- 

 came subject to disea.se ; and in proportion as 

 tbe constitutional strength prevailed, in a great- 

 er or less degree was the degree of destruction 

 that ensued. 



Various modes have been suggested for the 

 preservation of what remains : the bousing of 

 tbe tolerably sound ones as drj- as possible, and 

 sprinkling them over with plaster of paris (gyp- 

 sum), in the proportion of half a pock to a sack 

 of Potatoes, placed in layers, is tlie safest way. 

 Tbe gypsum absorbs the ammonia of the dis- 

 eased parts, improves tbe atmospliere aronnd 

 tbe Potatoes, and Iience prevents the possibility 

 of fever among tbo.se engaged in sortint? and oc- 

 casionally turning of them, which should not be 

 neglected whilst the weatlier continues opea — 



* This means land worth $4 50 reatal per acre. 



