The French Peasant- Farmer!>^ Seed Fund. 
345 
report of the commune of VVarloy-Baillon, in the canton of 
Corbie, department of the Somme : — 'The wheat remained a 
long time without growing visibly, resting in braird (en lierbe) 
close to the ground exactly like rye-grass. Its growth com- 
menced towards the end of June, the stalk grew rapidly, and the 
head made its appearance in the best condition. When ripe, 
every one was surprised to find that the ear was barren. Whether 
that was caused by excessive heat, or by very cold nights, we 
must leave to be decided by more competent men.' " (Pp. 13, 14.) 
Autumn Distribution. 
At the close of the distribution of spring corn and seeds, 
the Committee had in hand a balance of about 2000/., consisting 
of subscriptions which had been received too late to be usefully 
expended that season. Still later they received, through M.Drouyn 
de Lhuys, a Swedish Fund amounting to 6300/., and a Limbourg 
Subscription of about 390/. ; finally, some large payments for 
railway carriage in France were refunded partly by the French 
Government and partly by the railway companies. Thus, at the 
approach of the autumn seed-time, the Committee possessed 
nearly 11,000/. for distribution; and after consultation with M. 
Drouyn de Lhuys, through whom the greater portion of it had 
reached their hands, they resolved to expend it in the purchase 
of English autumn wheat, to be distributed in the first instance to 
those who had received spring wheat which did not produce a 
four alone prodiioed ripe seeds ; these were sown and resown, and in three years 
plants were reared which ripened all their seed. Conversely, nearly all the plants 
raised from summer wheat, which was sown in autumn, perished from frost ; but 
a few were saved and produced seed, and in three years this summer variety was 
■converted into a winter variety" (vol. i. p. 315). Mr. Darwin also quotes MM. 
Edwards and Colin ' Annal. des Sciences Naturelles,' 2nd Series, Bot. torn. v. 
p. 22) to show that '' a kind of wheat which in England mai/ be used indifferenth/ 
either as a winter or summer variety, ichen soion under the warmer climate of 
Grignon, in France, behaved exactly as if it had been a true winter wheat " (vol. ii. 
p. 307). As Mr. Darwin does not state whether the seed sown in France was the 
produce of winter-sown or spring-sown English wheat, and as this case is exactly 
parallel to our own, I referred to the original paper, hoping to find that the authors 
had ascertained this circumstance before making the experiment. Unfortunately, 
however, it appears that the experiment was not made by them, but by M. Bella, 
of Grignon, and no indication is given that any inquiry had been made as to the 
pedigree of the seed which he used. The fact alone therefore remains, that a 
similar description of wheat to the Nursery variety, if not the same, was sown in 
France many years ago, with the same result as that attending the use of Nursery 
wheat last spring. It may be added, however, that M. Bella's case was one of 
deliberate experiment, unattended by any of the complications and difficulties 
which were last spring encountered by the French Peasant-Farmers' Seed Fund, 
and by French seed-merchants. It therefore strengthens ihe conviction in my 
mind that the failure of the Nursery wheat was not the resulc of late sowing, or of 
an untoward season, or of want of preparation of the land, but was owing to a 
<!Onstitutional peculiarity ia this variety of seed." 
