Ihe Seeding of Grain. 



439 



The chief points to keep in view in determining the quan- 

 tity of seed to sow are the following : — The tillering or stalk- 

 producing power of the variety ; the size of the seeds, that is, 

 the number of seeds in a lb. or bushel, compared with seed 

 ot the same variety grown under different conditions, or 

 the seed of a different variety grown under the same 

 ■conditions ; the percentage of germination ; whether the 

 seed is new to the land, or has been grown on it pre- 

 viously ; the firmness or lightness of the land ; the condi- 

 tion in which it is at the time of seeding ; the date of sowing; 

 and whether the seed is sown broadcast or drilled. 



Tillering. 



Some varieties have this power developed in an extra- 

 ordinary degree, while in others it is almost nil. Most 

 varieties of barley or wheat differ little in this respect, but 

 in oats it is most marked. For this characteristic the most 

 noticeable variety is probably Tarn Findlay, a long oat, 

 with a thin husk, and extra good straw, which, as a rule, is 

 only grown extensively in the dairying districts of Ayrshire, 

 and on similar land in the neighbouring counties. In the 

 districts where it is grown the land is generally heavy and 

 the climate wet, and damage by the grub of the daddy-long- 

 legs or crane fly is frequent, and often severe. Under these 

 circumstances, it occasionally happens that the plants are 

 •so thinned that each may be many inches from its neigh- 

 bour. The tillering power of this variety is, however, so 

 great that, with land in good condition, and with a favour- 

 able season, full crops have often been reaped from fields 

 which at one time did not look like being over half seeded. 

 Under such circumstances it is quite common to find from 

 five to ten stalks issuing from a single plant, the stalks being 

 usually very thick and the crop late. 



The oat in largest cultivation in Scotland is the Potato, 

 with its sub-varieties, Hamilton and Longhoughton, each of 

 which has the power of tillering well developed. With 

 such varieties, or others having similar powers, when, from 

 any cause whatever, a crop is thinly planted, the production 

 of stalks is somewhat delayed, but each plant ultimately 



