110 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



materially diminish the crop, the naked spots may be sown 

 with spring wheat. Any considerable portion of the latter 

 will lessen the value for sale, but it is equally good ibr domes- 

 tic use. The land should be duly prepared for the reception 

 of the seed by early and thorough plowing, and harrowing 

 if necessary. 



SELECTION AND PREPARATION or SEED. Many persons 

 select their seed by casting or throwing the grain to some 

 distance on the floor, using only such as reaches the farthest. 

 This is a summary way of selecting the heaviest, plumpest 

 grain, which if Sprengel's theory be correct, is attended 

 with no advantage beyond that of separating it from the 

 lighter seeds of chess or weeds. It is certain that the utmost 

 care should be taken in removing every thing from it but 

 pure wheat, and this should be exclusively of the kind 

 required. When wheat is not thoroughly cleaned by casting, 

 a sieve or riddle should be used, or it should even be picked 

 over by hand, rather than sow anything but the pure seed. 

 Previous to sowing, a strong brine should be made of salt 

 and soft water, and in this the grain should be washed for 

 five minutes, taking care to skim oft* all light and foreign 

 seeds. If the grain be smutty this washing should be 

 repeated in another clean brine, when it may be taken 

 out and intimately mixed with one-twelfth its bulk of fresh 

 pulverized quick lime. This kills all smut, cleans out 

 weeds from the grain, and insures early rapid growth. 

 When the seed is not smutty, it may be prepared by soaking 

 or sprinkling it with stale urine and afterwards mix with the 

 lime ; and if well done this also will prevent smut though 

 the first is most certain. (See " varieties of seed " following 

 for further directions.) 



QUANTITY OF SEED AND TIME OF SOWING. On well 

 pulverized, ordinary wheat soils, about 5 pecks of seed is 

 sown to the acre, while rough land, clay soils and such as 

 are very fertile, require from 6 to 8. In Maryland, but 3 

 pecks are frequently sown to the acre, and some of the best 

 crops have been raised from only 2 pecks of seed on a finely 

 pulverized soil. It takes more seed when full and plump 

 than when shrunken, as there may be nearly two of the lat- 

 ter to one of the former in the same measure. A difference 

 is to be observed according to the kind of wheat, some need- 

 ing more than others. A larger quantity of seed produces an 

 earlier growth of lighter straw and head, but does not usually 

 increase the aggregate crop. There is always a tendency 



