1840.] SENATE— No. 36. 85 



Nothing is more emphatically to be condemned, than the 

 planting of imperfect or blighted seed. A deterioration in the 

 crops must inevitably take place. The blasted wheat will 

 germinate, but it will give an inferior yield. The plant of 

 such wheat will come up feebly, for the wheat plant, in its 

 first germination, is nourished by the milk placed by nature in 

 the seed, for the early sustenance of the plant until it rises to 

 the surface and extends its coronal roots, as they are termed, 

 in search of food. If the seed be imperfect or shrivelled, it 

 can yield this first and indispensable nourishment only in a 

 very imperfect degree. Experiments in relation to this matter 

 as stated in my former report, have shown, in the most decisive 

 manner, that no practice can be worse than that of planting im- 

 perfect seeds. The great rule in relation to animals holds per- 

 fect in its application to vegetables. If you desire to breed the 

 best races, you must breed only from the best animals ; for de- 

 fects and imperfections have always a tendency to propagate 

 themselves, and are always in a greater or less degree trans- 

 mitted.* 



Quantity of Seed to an Acre. — With respect to the quan- 

 tity of seed to an acre, it has been already remarked, that the 

 practice of farmers, from the reports, is to sow two bushels of 

 spring wheat, and one and a half of winter wheat, to the acre. 

 In this case something may depend upon the condition of the 

 ground, and the time of sowing. If the wheat is planted 

 early, it will have more time to tiller, that is to spread its roots 

 and throw up shoots ; but I believe that in all cases where the 

 condition of the land will admit of it, it would be better to 

 seed our land more liberally than we are accustomed to do. 

 The more thickly the wheat stands upon the ground, the short- 

 er will be the culm or stalk, and the less likely is it to become 

 lodged and broken down.f 



Whether summer or winter wheat is to be preferred, is a 

 question on which there has been not a little disagreement of 

 opinion. Winter wheat, when it survives the winter, yields 

 better, produces heavier grain and better flour, but the danger of 



* Appendix H. t Appendix I. 



