54 
The Mechanical Condition of the Siiii 
bind together, to the prejudice of the crop. As the soils get 
lighter there is less objection to working them when wet ; in some 
cases, indeed, this becomes necessary, in order to give them the 
required firmness. It is not often in the south of England that a 
wet time is selected for sowing ; but, when rain comes on after 
the work has commenced, I have known it to be continued until the 
soil was quite muddy, and yet no disadvantage has resulted ; on 
the contrary, the plant has proved firmer on the portion sown 
wet than upon any other part. This, which may be safe upon 
one soil, will often he very injurious upon another apparenthj of the 
same character. Soils which have a sufficient proportion of 
sand or grit intermixed with them are thus preserved from that 
adhesion of the particles of the soil which would take place 
in stronger land, so that, in their case, the germination of 
the seed is but little delayed, whilst the treading of the land 
Avhen wet, gives it a greater degree of firmness, and this is 
favourable to the stability of the plant. The line which appears 
to separate those soils which are injured from those which are 
benefited by being worked when moist, is the proportion of sand 
or grit which the soil contains, and also the condition of the 
clayey matter with which it is mixed ; and this can at present 
only be safely decided by local experience. 
The rules which regulate the quantity of seed-wheat to be 
sown to the acre are simply these : — the early sowings require 
less seed, whilst for the later sowings the quantity should be 
gradually increased ; and, again, as the soil and climate become 
more favourable to the growth of wheat, less seed becomes neces- 
sary. The first sowings will take 5 or 6 pecks of seed to the 
acre, whereas the latest will reach up to 8 pecks, and upon poor 
land it will range from 7 to 10 pecks : local experience must here 
also be called in, to decide as to the time of sowing, for it is im- 
possible to lay down any definite rule which can be taken as a 
safe guide. That comprehensive word climate seems to regulate 
this point ; for neither the character of the soil, proximity to the 
sea, elevation, nor any other individual influence, decides the 
practice, but that peculiar knowledge which renders local expe- 
perience alone worthy of confidence.* 
The months of October and November embrace the sowings 
of our principal wheat-districts, but we must extend our time 
* If all that really constitutes climate could be duly taken into account, in- 
cluding excess of dryness on dry soils, of wetness on heavy soils ; prolonged 
exposure to keen winds ; alternation of hot days and frosty nights ; sudden burst 
of summer weather, &c., with due allowance for the mechanical defects of the soil, 
its susceptibility under changes of temperature, and its limited straw-producing 
power, as well as for possible injury from birds and insects, we might then base 
our practice on knowledge rather than experience, but the result would not be suc- 
cessful, if any one element had been overlooked in our calculation. — P. H. F. 
