114 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



great crops. Two bushels an acre sown in Maryland or 

 Pennsylvania would yield straw without grain. In Mary- 

 land three pecks are commonly sown. I never had better 

 crops than from half a bushel of seed wheat to an acre, in a 

 few instances. In these instances the ground was perfectly 

 clean and fine, after many ploughings or horse-hoeings of 

 maize, [Indian corn,] on which the wheat was sown in Sep- 

 tember, whilst the maize was ripening. It was a clay loam 

 highly pulverized. But because of the loss of plants at other 

 times, I preferred to sow three pecks an acre.' ' Grain which 

 is thin so\vii, says the Complete Farmer, is less apt to lodge. 

 Every one must have observed that in places where foot- 

 paths are made through wheat fields, by the side of the paths, 

 where the corn is thin, and has been trodden down in winter 

 and spring, the plants have stood erect, when most of the 

 corn in the same field has been laid flat on the ground ; an 

 advantage proceeding from the circumstance of the stalks 

 having more room.' 



The Farmer's Assistant asserts, that ' the time for sowing 

 wheat probably depends much on previous habit. Thus if 

 it were sown a number of successive years by the middle of 

 August, and then the time of sowing were changed at once to 

 October, the crop would probably be much lighter on that 

 account ; yet, where wheat has become habituated to be 

 sown late, it will do tolerably well. The later it is sown, 

 however, the more seed is requisite. When early sown, a 

 bushel to the acre is believed to be sufficient ; but w hen 

 sown later, a bushel and a half, or more, may be necessary.' 

 The estimate of seed, however, should be formed not so 

 much from the capacity of any particular measure, as from 

 the number of grains which that measure contains. The 

 larger and fuller the seed is, the greater quantity by measure 

 will be required ; the smaller, the less quantity. Much, 

 therefore, must be left to the discretion of the farmer, who 

 must take into consideration the time of sowing, the quality 

 and preparation of the soil, as well as the plumpness or the 

 shrivelled state of the seed wheat. 



If naked summer fallows are used at all, they may as well 

 be made preparatory to a crop of w4ieat. It may sometimes 

 be expedient to suspend, for one season, the raising of crops 

 of any sort on land which is exhausted or greatly infested 

 with weeds ; and during the summer and autumn plough and 

 harrow it several times, and thus thoroughly subdue it. 

 When such a process is adopted, wheat is generally the 



