WINTER AND SPRING WHEAT. 93 



"The winter," says Professor Buckinan, "was mild and 

 wet. All the samples were gathered in August. The 

 September, October, and November plots gave the best 

 samples ; that sown in March, April, and May was by far 

 the worst in the series. Blight both in straw and ear was 

 most prevalent from December, though in Spring months 

 that sown in June, July, August, and September, was 

 clean in the straw ; but the ears of the July sample, though 

 they ripened, were remarkably small. From this experi- 

 ment we see, that although the wheat sown in the autumn 

 months certainly succeeded best, yet that of the spring 

 months gave a yield : and indeed winter varieties of wheat 

 are often not sown until as late as the latter end of Febru- 

 ary; and we must remember, that if winter wheat be left 

 until the spring for sowing, it behaves in its rooting and 

 tillering much as spring wheat, and hence the difference is 

 merely one of growth." This difference may be described 

 briefly : in spring the winter-sown wheat sends forth new 

 roots and fresh librils, tillering and forming tufts, the 

 shoots of which root precisely like the central blade : this, 

 which may be called the second growth of the winter-sown 

 wheat, takes place at the same period as spring-sown wheat 

 is coming up. The growth of the spring-sown wheat be- 

 ing so much quicker, as the time for its development and 

 ripening is so much shorter, than that of winter-sown 

 wheat, does not, therefore, tiller to anything like the same 

 extent. The development of the roots and fibrils goes on 

 regularly, having no period of rest. The difference, then, 

 between the growth of winter and spring-sown wheat is 

 only one of degree; nevertheless the difference is such, 

 that it involves different treatment on the part of the far- 

 mer. In the first place, spring wheat must be sown more 

 thickly than winter, as each seed brings forth a much 

 smaller as a rule number of ears, and the thickness of 

 the plants in the ground modifies the effects of the droughts 

 which may probably supervene. So far as regards the 

 preparation of the soil on which point we have yet much 

 to say in its appropriate place that for spring must be 



