HOW TO GROW GOOD CORN. 215 



unless the miller will agree to give a better price for 

 a " gay "* sample, it will be to the farmer's advantage 

 to leave it to fully ripen, if he can make sure that it 

 can be kept from shedding in harvesting, and the 

 attacks of birds. 



As regards barley, if our crop is required for home 

 use for feeding purposes, we should cut at least a 

 week earlier than most people, and we should have as 

 good feeding quality, without loss from winds, loss in 

 harvesting, and from birds; but, if our land grows 

 malting barley, the sample will be a better, and more 

 uniform in germinating, when " dead ripe." 



During the last season (1861), our pupil, E. "Witts, 

 Esq., collected bunches of corn from a crop of fine 

 white oats at the under-mentioned dates. Erom these 

 we counted 500 seeds, and took their weights ; and, 

 though we confess that many such experiments will 

 be required to settle the whole facts of the case, yet 

 the results given in table 6 are so curious, that we 

 hope in future to direct our pupils in carrying out 

 many similar experiments. 



The two samples, each of the 20th and 21st, 

 were probably obtained from different parts of the 

 same field, yet they lead us to conclude, .as do those of 

 the other dates, that a single day, if a hot summer, 

 makes a great deal of difference. Now, the crop 

 was not cut until a week after the 21st, and yet we 

 are persuaded that we should have gained by cutting 

 on the 20th rather than later, and, at least, we should 

 have prevented much loss from " shed " seeds. 



* The farmer's term for early-cut corn, in both the middle and 

 "West of England. 



