18 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



of the present year's crop will, in most cases, force more 

 strongly upon the attention of authorities that it is very 

 important to select varieties which are comparatively highly 

 productive even in adverse seasons. Some misapprehension 

 exists as to the influence of improvements. A dry soil is 

 necessarily of a higher temperature than one which is wet, 

 and consequently is better adapted for the growth of the 

 more tender kinds of the cultivated plants, more particu- 

 larly of wheat. Still the temperature of the atmosphere 

 and the amount of sunshine are very important conditions 

 for the healthy growth of all the corn crops ; and too much 

 stress should not be put upon the counteracting influences of 

 drainage, deep stirring, and high cultivation, in adapting 

 land for the cultivation of the more tender kinds of cereals. 

 The grower of corn requires to study to obtain a superiority 

 of produce so as to acquire a high average return during 

 the period of occupancy; and as inclement seasons occur 

 at longer or shorter intervals, it is the more necessary to 

 grow hardy and productive varieties, as well as to render 

 the soil suitable for the healthy growth of those kinds 

 selected. The combining of these conditions will usually 

 secure success." "We shall hereafter point out how the 

 experiments connected with the raising of good samples 

 or of new varieties should be carried out; but we have 

 here to add to our notes one from the article above allud- 

 ed to, having reference to the produce of the experimen- 

 tal plots. It should be carefully seen that the character 

 of the produce agrees with the one which was originally 

 recorded, "as it is quite probable that a new kind has been 

 produced accidentally what vegetable physiologists term 

 ' sporting.' " It is right also here to remind the experi- 

 menter of what the writer of the above article has so 

 judiciously drawn attention to namely, that all the ex- 

 periments will not be alike or at all successful ; but * if 

 success crowns one selection out of ten, the raiser of a new 

 and superior variety will generally reap some pecuniary 

 benefit, while his name will be recorded as the propagator 

 of a hardy and productive variety.' We heartily coincide 



