270 BUYING BY WEIGHT. 



which the different species should be mixed, it may be 

 well to refer to the mode generally adopted for estimat- 

 ing the quantities of seeds and their relative weight. 

 And I may remark here that the prevailing practice of 

 buying and sowing grass-seeds by measure, rather than 

 by weight, seems injudicious, to say the least. It is 

 well known that old or poor seed weighs less than that 

 which is fresh and new. Now, if a farmer buys by 

 weight, even if he does get an old or inferior quality 

 of seed, he gets a much larger number of seeds, and 

 this larger quantity of seed which he receives for his 

 money may make up for the inferior quality, and he 

 will have a larger number of seeds capable of germ- 

 ination than he would have if he bought by measure. 

 It is to be regretted that it has become so nearly uni- 

 versal to purchase by measure, though, as this course 

 is for the seller's advantage, it may be difficult to change 

 the custom. 



The following table, containing the weight per bushel 

 of the seeds of the most important agricultural grasses, 

 has been prepared chiefly from a valuable treatise on 

 the grasses, by the Messrs. Lawson, of Edinburgh, who 

 have paid much attention to this subject, and whose 

 experience and observation in this department have 

 probably been larger and more extensive than those 

 of any other seedsmen. 



This table will be found to be exceedingly valuable 

 for reference. 



Column 1 contains the common names of the grasses. 



Column 2, the average number of pounds in a bushel 

 of the seeds. 



Column 3, the average number of seeds in an ounce. 



Column 4 shows the depth of soil, in inches and frac- 

 tions of an inch, at which the greatest number of seeds 

 germinate. 



