86 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



the seed when wet in fresh-slaked lime, little dan- 

 ger is to be apprehended either of smut or of the 

 eggs of insects on the berry. In a late number of 

 the British Farmer's Magazine, a preparation of ar- 

 senic and potash is highly recommended as a pickle 

 for wheat. It may, and undoubtedly would be effi- 

 cacious in the prevention of smut, as the smallness 

 of the seeds of this fungus render them peculiarly 

 liable to be acted upon by mineral poisons ; but the 

 dangerous nature of the substance, and the fact that 

 a harmless substitute is found in lime, will, we think, 

 prevent its general adoption. 



The quantity of wheat that should be sown on an 

 acre, and the best method of sowing it, are points 

 by no means settled among farmers. As to the first, 

 no definite quantity, we think, can be fixed upon, as 

 this will depend on the quality of the soil, the kind 

 of wheat used, and the mode of sowing. Some 

 wheat tillers or shoots more stems from a root than 

 others ; and a new variety has been advertised in 

 England, so remarkable for this quality that half a 

 bushel is said to be sufficient for an acre of land. 

 This might do if the seeds were placed at proper 

 distances, and all germinated, two conditions rarely 

 or never found united. In England the quantity va- 

 ries from two and a half to four bushels per acre. 

 In tliis country, from one bushel to two bushels are 

 used. We have known an instance the present sea- 

 son, in which 38 bushels were raised from one bush- 

 el sown on one acre. In Europe, and particularly 

 in Britain, drill-sowing was a few years since exten- 

 sively practised, and still is by many of the best 

 farmers, such as Mr. Coke of Holkham, now Earl 

 Leicester. But the practice is declining in districts 

 where it was once generally followed, and the broad- 

 cast system, as used in this country, is taking its 

 place. In a favourable day, an experienced man will 

 sow the seed with sufficient regularity in this way ; 

 and it is the general opinion, sanctioned, it would 



