56 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



about 10.000 grains in a pint, or 20,000 in a quart, or 

 160,000 in a peck, or 640,000 in a bushel, consequently, 

 if it were required to be planted single grains at 1 inch 

 apart square, it would require only 9 bushels to plant an 

 acre. If the holes or plantations are required to be made 

 at 6 inches apart square, about the distance practised in 

 the ordinary way, at 1 bushel per statute acre, it will ad- 

 mit of just 1,045,440 holes, and 6 grains for each planta- 

 tion, provided the whole surface of the land were to be 

 covered, with no furrows between. But as furrows are in 

 most cases required, no seed is necessary for the?n, which 

 reduces the number of plantations on an acre to about 

 897,520, viz.: at 1 bushel per acre, 7 grains for each 

 hole, at 6 inches apart square, or 4 plantations on every 

 foot, which, if planted with precision, will admit of all 

 casualties the wheat plant may be supposed to have to con- 

 tend with from birds, rooks, pigeons, partridges, pheasants, 

 rats, mice, slugs, wireworms, moles, hares, rabbits, and 

 other destructives, also frosts, rains, and snow, imperfect 

 cultivation, weeds, &c. But what of the issue when neither 

 of these mishaps do occur, as they often do not, when 

 planted well, with double this quantity of seed, or more 1 

 Some will reply, and I admit it with truth, that it would 

 ripen earlier, and prevent its tillering too much in the 

 spring, which causes a coarse and uneven sample. But it 

 then certainly would only eventuate in producing a puny 

 and root-fallen crop a weak progeny of less than one good 

 ear's produce from each grain sown, and not able to with- 

 stand the ills attending it, at least in such a climate as ours, 

 so unapt for ripening corn in very many seasons. I my- 

 self contend that 1 grain only at a place (though I would 

 not trust to it unless I could plant it early in September) 

 is far preferable to more, as then that one plant can be best 

 ensured. But it must be planted early, in order that it 

 may tiller in autumn, and enable it to perform its natural 

 capabilities. Thus, it would require only 10 pints to plant 

 an acre, I mean, were the whole surface of the land 

 planted at 6 inches apart square, or 4 plants on one foot. 



