CHANGE OF SEED WHEAT. 15 



vel when the mere weight and bulk of its produce is taken 

 into account ; the ordinary yield of nursery wheat weighs 

 66^- Ibs. per bushel, and counts twelve sacks per acre.' 

 The ' red lammas ' is the most esteemed of the red wheats 

 in Scotland. The c kessingland,' a prolific red wheat, is 

 thought by Mr. Fyfe to be the progenitor of the ' giant 

 pedigree ' and ' nursery prodigy of the day.' For notices 

 of the ' characteristics of other red wheats, as Spalding's 

 prolific, Piper's thickset, Kent red, Hallett's pedigree nur- 

 sery (see fig. 1), golden drop, giant, Essex, or golden red, 

 Dunstable cluster red, conservative, Biddle's imperial, and 

 Britannia, we refer the reader to Mr. Eyfe's paper. In fig. 

 1 we give a drawing of Hallett's Pedigree Wheat, of which 

 more hereafter ; in fig. 2 a drawing of Californian Wheat ; 

 in fig. 3 a drawing of Bearded or April ; and in fig. 4 of 

 [Norfolk Wheat. 



7. The subject of the ' change of seed wheat ' has been 

 much discussed of late ; this, like other ' vexed questions ' 

 of agriculture, is marked by the contrariety of opinions 

 brought forward by those who ought to be authorities. 

 Generally, however, a ' change of seed ' is considered a de- 

 sirable point to be attended to ; so much, indeed, is this 

 view held by some, that they change their seed every year. 

 The subject, says a writer in the ' Mark Lane Express,' is 

 one which deserves ' full discussion.' He says : 



" The points I wish more particularly to have cleared 

 up are 1st, the nature of the change, i. e., the kind of 

 wheat ; 2d, the best change, and the best kinds of wheat 

 for different soils ; 3d, the best change of climate, i. e., from 

 a warm to a cold district, vice versa; 4th, the best change 

 from different soils, i. e., from clay to chalk, or peat to loam 

 or sandy, or to gravelly soils, or vice versa in each case 

 respectively, or whatever changes may have been found 

 desirable from soil to soil in any case. 



" A friend of the writer occupies a farm in Bedfordshire, 

 and another in Lincolnshire marshes. His custom relative 

 to his seed-corn is to change it from one farm to the other 

 annually ; and he assures me he does it with great benefit 



