1840.J SENATE— No. 36. 197 



many of the seeds, this column might have been considered as a very 

 accurate index of the relative hardiness of each variety. This, how- 

 ever, is not the case, for the havoc which the birds made must also be 

 taken into account. It was thought at the time, that more injury was 

 sustained, from the latter cause, by those varieties planted, on the 21st, 

 than by any of the others ; but this does not appear to have been the 

 case, for, if the great loss sustained by these had been wholly owing 

 to the havoc committed by the birds, it is evident that the varieties 

 marked Nos. 12 and 15 would not have been so slightly injured, while 

 Nos. 11, 13, 14, and 16, suffered so severely. The figures in this col- 

 umn may, therefore, be said to indicate with tolerable accuracy the 

 relative ability of each variety to withstand the effects of a severe and 

 changeable winter, such as that during which the experiment was 

 made. 



The number of plants of each variety which came to perfection, is 

 placed opposite the name of each in the sixth column. This was 

 ascertained by pulling each as they respectively ripened, and counting 

 the plants of each before proceeding to the others. In this way, by a 

 simple substraction, the numbers contained in the fifth column, also, 

 were ascertained. 



When all the plants of any variety had been pulled, the number of 

 ears, also, belonging to them was counted, and the results are placed 

 in the seventh column. 



By dividing these by 99, the number of square feet which each va- 

 riety occupied, we obtain the number of ears in each square foot; and 

 this is placed opposite the name of each wheat, in the eighth column. 



The average number of ears to each root, ascertained by dividing 

 the number of ears by that of the roots, is placed in the ninth column. 

 This column shows the degree in which each species possesses the 

 important property of spreading and shooting out stems, or, as it is 

 technically termed, o^ tillering ; and it will be seen that they vary 

 in this respect greatly. 



After having been palled and dried, the wheat was carefully rubbed 

 out; and the light and imperfect grains had been separated, the weight 

 of the remainder was taken, and placed opposite each sort, in the 

 tenth column. 



The twelfth column contains the number of bushels per acre 

 raised from each variety. The amount per acre allowed at the rate 

 of 64 lbs. to a bushel. 



The weight of straw, which is placed in the fourteenth and fifteenth 

 columns, was ascertained after the roots had been cut off, and after it 

 had remained out sufficiently long to dry it perfectly." 



