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that the less quantity of seed we 

 sow, the better. Because, in get- 

 ting a crop, other things beside the 

 increase from the seed, are to be 

 taken into consideration. 



Other things being equal, those 

 crops are most to be coveted, 

 which require the smallest propor- 

 tion of seed. But the greatest 

 profit, on the whole, is to direct 

 the choice of crops. The cheap- 

 ness of seed sometimes misleads 

 the farmer. To this cause may 

 be ascribed, not seldom, the culti- 

 vation of maize on soils that are 

 more suitable for other kinds of 

 corn ; or on soils that will pro- 

 duce no crop of maize worth cul- 

 tivating. In a suitable soil, well 

 dunged, it is not uncommon for 

 one quart of maize to yield ten 

 bushels, which is an increase of 

 320 fold. The expense of seed, 

 therefore, for producing a bushel 

 of corn, at 67 ceits, is but 2 cents. 

 But an increase of 20 fold is a good 

 crop of wheat; the seed to pro- 

 duce a bushel of wheat at one dol- 

 lar and 17 cents will be more than 

 6 cents : So that the expense of 

 seed for wheat, is much greater 

 than for maize. One consequence 

 of this ditference in seed is, that 

 many of the poor can obtain seed 

 for the former crop, who cannot 

 obtain it for the other. And I 

 suspect that the greater expense 

 for seed of English grain, as we 

 call it, has gradually brought the 

 people of this country into a habit 

 of sowing it too thin, and made 

 them establish rules of doing so. 

 It is certain we sow much thinner 

 than Europeans do. 



It is not easy to determine what 



quantities of seed will answer best 

 for given quantities of ground. But 

 it is observable, that, in kindness 

 to man, the beneficient Governor 

 of nature has made most plants of 

 the farinaceous kind, capable of 

 getting their full growth when they 

 stand near together. The great- 

 est increase from the seed, is not 

 to be accounted the most profita- 

 ble crop. 



A yield of thirteen for one may 

 be of more advantage than twenty 

 for one. If one bushel of wheat 

 sowed on an acre produce 20, and 

 two bushels sowed on an acre pro- 

 duce 26, it is manifestly more pro- 

 fitable to sow the two bushels. 

 The farmer may consider one of 

 the two bushels as yielding 20, and 

 the other 6. But as the labour in 

 both cases is precisely the same, 

 it is clearly more profitable in this 

 case to have thirteen for one in- 

 crease than 20 for one. Now, in 

 Europe, generally, they sow dou- 

 ble, and some times treble the 

 quantity of seed that we do. Can 

 we be certain, till we try the ex- 

 periment that one of the causes of 

 the superiority may not be their 

 liberality in saving seeds ? 



Another matter in which in- 

 crease is to be considered, is the 

 breeding of cattle, and other an- 

 imals. The farmer may reckon 

 increase in neat cattle as follows : 

 He that has one cow may expect, 

 in one year, to possess a cow and 

 calf; — in two years, a cow, a year- 

 ling and a calf; — in three years, a 

 cow, a twoyearold steer or heifer, 

 a yearling and a calf. The two 

 year old steer or heifer may be 

 worth 3L the yearling 40s. and 



