262 Artificial Fecundation of Cereal and other Crops. 
Per Hectare. Per Acre. 
Hectolitres. Kilogrammes. Bushels. lbs. 
Wheat fecundated .. .. 35-00 2550 39 2240 
Wheat not fecundated .. 32-00 2340 36 2059 
Eye fecundated 28-40 2000 32 1760 
Rye not fecundated .. .. 17-00 1200 19 960 
Or, if as before, the fecundated crops be represented by 100, 
then the natural wheat-crop is now represented in measure as 
91'42, in weight as 9i - 76 ; and the rye-crop in measure as59'89, 
in weight as 60. 
The half-bundle of the wheat left to nature contained 215 ripe 
and 7 unripe stalks, in all 222, with two stems of weeds ; its 
competitor had 225 ripe stalks and 13 weed stems. With the 
rye, the natural crop had 142 stalks of corn, many of which were 
blank, and 22 of weeds ; its rival had 242 stalks of ripe corn, 
and 16 of weeds. M. Dailly aptly remarks that the produce 
appeared to vary as the number of stems ; whereas the artificial 
process could exert no influence except on the number and 
weight of the grains in a given number of stems. 
Of the natural wheat-crop only 166 grains were required to fill 
a centilitre, as against 175 grains of the rival parcel ; but of the 
natural rye-crop it took 259 grains as against 247. 
It is elaborately calculated that the natural wheat-ear averaged 
12 grains as against 13; and the natural rye 14 grains as 
against 15. 
The reader may, by a little attention, see for himself how con- 
siderable the discrepancies are between the results of the two 
trials ; and if the smaller bundles were a fair sample, how small 
was the advantage gained in the quality of the ears. These 
reports, which emanate from nearly the same authority, are per- 
plexing, if not discouraging. That which is favourable to M. 
Hooibrenk has the advantage of being based on the larger trial 
of the two. Meanwhile there are many indications that the 
question, though still an open one, is considered to possess much 
interest and importance. The following instructions, issued by 
Marshal Vaillant (which are here slightly abridged), bear suffi- 
cient testimony to this. 
Instructions for the Conduct of Experiments designed to test M. 
Hooibrenk's Method of Artificial Fecundation, Sfc, of Cereals. 
(Extracted from the ' Moniteur,' November 14th, 1863.) 
M. Hooibrenk recommends the adoption of two distinct 
processes : — 
1st. Rolling the corn three or four times after it is up ; and 
2ndly. Artificial fecundation at the flowering season. 
The first rolling should be done shortly after the corn is above 
