OF THE SOWING OF SEED. 353 



especially if the wheat is sown early. There is reason also 

 to believe, that old seed wheat, is not so liable to the smut, 

 as new seed, and that it produces straw of a stronger 

 quality, and not so apt to lodge. Many intelligent farm- 

 ers, however, doubt these advantages, and contend, that 

 keeping old seed in the straw, must occasion a loss of at 

 least 25 per cent, on the quantity kept. 



5. The plan of kiln-drying seed wheat has been already 

 alluded to, (see p. 260), and the suggestion of such a sys- 

 tem, has led to some important observations from Mr 

 Walker of Mellendean. He remarks, that having fre- 

 quently lost his crop by getting kiln-dried wheat from the 

 London market, he thinks that such an operation should 

 be adopted with the greatest caution. He is persuaded, 

 at the same time, that if care is bestowed on the ordinary 

 way of pickling, there is no surer remedy against smut. 

 For several years, he has always pickled as much as will 

 sow a field, a day or two before he begins to sow, and 

 has often, when bad weather came on, kept it for some 

 time in that state, without ils being injured ; he is con- 

 vinced, indeed, that unless the wheat has full time to dry, 

 before sowing, the cure is not completed. He has long 

 been in the practice of sowing considerable quantities of 

 wheat, both in autumn and spring, and was led to draw 

 this conclusion, from having often observed, in his wheat 

 fields, a few ridges alternately clean and smutted, and he 

 knew of no difference that had taken place in the pickling, 

 on the contrary, he had attended to that operation him- 

 self, and sent the wheat to the field in quantities of one, 

 two, or three bolls at a time, as wanted by the sowers. He 

 could find no reason for a part of the crop being clean 

 and a part smutted, but that a part of the seed had been 

 used too soon after pickling. This led him to make the 

 experiment of preparing a whole day's sowing a day be- 



VOL. II. Z 



