1921.] 



Agriculture Abroad. 



981 



the various British breeds of live stock and the names of Secre- 

 taries of Breed Societies in this country. 



Mention has been made at various times in the Journal 

 d' Agriculture Practique, and also recently in the Cornptes Rendus 

 Seed Cleanin French Academy (issue of 14th 



in France ^pi"il> 1920) , of methods of cleaning 

 cereals by mechanical operation. It is 

 pointed out that experiment has shown that increased yields 

 may be obtained by sov^ing seed previously cleaned, and 

 machines have been designed to perform the cleaning process. 

 These machines are well known among the larger farmers, 

 but are little used on small holdings on account of their high 

 price. It is noted that when cleaned cereal seed is sown, the 

 number of weeds in the crop is reduced and increased yields 

 are obtained. 



In order to demonstrate the value of the machines used, a 

 travelling seed-cleaning installation, consisting of different 

 types of seed-cleaning machines, lent by the manufacturers of 

 the machines, was recently exhibited on a car provided by the 

 Paris-Orleans Eailway, which made an itinerary of the two 

 Departments served by the railway. A programme of the 

 stations to be visited was drawn up, and notices of the stopping 

 places of the car were sent out in advance. Farmers were 

 invited to bring quantities of cereal seed to be cleaned, and 

 many lots were so treated and several machines sold. 



Where seed wheat of selected varieties furnished by large 

 firms of seedsmen is not available, it is suggested that wheat 

 of the previous harvest should not be sown " as threshed," but 

 that it should be first properly cleaned. 



A case of individual enterprise in the use of seed-cleaning 

 machines is mentioned : A French farmer at Hailly (Oise). 

 mounted a seed-cleaning machine on an ordinary motor waggon, 

 and was thus able to arrange for its conveyance from one 

 farm to another. 



In order to a larger extent to remove the difficulty of high 

 cost which has prevented the general adoption of the cleaning 

 machines on small holdings, encouragement has been given 

 to the idea of co-operation. So long as twenty years ago, 

 co-operative use of cleaning machines was tried in the Depart- 

 ment of Pas-de-Calais, and in 1908 a co-operative cleaning 

 installation was established at Busy (Doubs) . France is 

 largely a country of small holdings, and in the co-operative 



