214 ESSAYS ON WHEAT 



brought from Danzig by sbip, and sent it on, saying that 

 from what he had learned from the importers the seed 

 would answer Fife's requirements. Two lots of wheat 

 were sent, one for fall and one for spring sowing. 



" The second shipment was held at Cobourg during the 

 fall and winter, as before. Both lots of wheat were sown 

 in the following spring but the fall wheat never germi- 

 nated. The spring wheat grew, developed, and ripened. 

 In growth and appearance it proved to be superior to any 

 other wheat in the neighborhood, but only three heads were 

 saved. It is known that the seed was not sown until all 

 the other kinds of grain were above the ground, as Fife 

 was ill and wished to watch the sowing and the cultivation 

 himself. The new variety, to the surprise of all, was 

 absolutely free from rust.®" 



" The crop was gathered by Mr. Fife and carefully 

 stored. A pint of seed was realized which, on being sown 

 early the next year, produced a half-bushel at harvest time. 

 From this limited quantity of seed the neighborhood was 

 supplied with samples for trial, and so successful was the 

 result that the district benefited largely from the Fife 

 wheat. 



" The spring following, this would be about 1843, a 

 man named Henderson bought from Fife one bushel and 

 from this as seed reaped nearly three himdred bushels,®^ 



80 Eed Fife wheat is not rust-resistant but often rusts badly. 

 Essen's and Dobbin's accounts agree in stating that the first crop 

 was free from rust when the other wheat suffered severely from 

 the disease. This may be due to the fact that the seed was sown 

 in a protected place and not in an open field. Essen says the seed 

 was sown " quite late and in a shady place." 



91 As a story is told, errors are apt to be introduced where figures 

 are quoted. It takes more than a bushel to sow a single acre, and 

 50 bushels to an acre is an excellent crop. No one ever yet obtained 

 300 bushels to an acre, so that Mr. Dobbin's figures here must be 

 fallacious. Such a crop might have come from ten bushels of seed 



