Pedigree  Seed  Com. 
123 
The  foregoing  general  statement  in  support  of  the  opening 
propositions  may  be  met  by  the  objection  that  there  is  insuffi- 
cient evidence  that  “ pedigree  ” seed  corn  is  so  much  more 
valuable  than  the  mixed  races  which  form  a large  part  of 
our  present  stocks  as  to  justify  such  special  efforts. 
Mixed  Seeding. 
There  is  a good  deal  to  be  said  in  favour  of  sowing 
“ mixtures.”  In  the  Agricultural  Gazette  there  recently 
appeared  some  interesting  references  to  the  sowing  of  “mixed 
wheats.”  One  writer  adduces  the  results  of  practical  experi- 
ences in  favour  of  the  practice,  and  justly  gives  as  the  reason 
in  its  favour  that  “ all  varieties  have  naturally  different  re- 
quirements,” and  that  a mixture  has  the  advantage  of  “ utilis- 
ing more  thoroughly  the  resources  of  the  soil.”  Professor 
Wrightson  commenting  on  this  agreed  on  general  grounds, 
specifically  mentioning  a mixture  of  “ Lincoln  Red  ” and 
“ Squareheads  Master.”  Both  authorities,  however,  infer  that 
the  mixtures  should  be  designed  and  not  merely  accidental, 
and  the  isolation  of  distinct  varieties  and  some  knowledge 
of  their  several  habits  is  therefore  postulated.^ 
Mixing  varieties  and  even  species  of  the  cereals  is  very 
ancient  agricultural  practice  all  over  the  world.  In  many 
parts  of  India  nearly  all  the  grain  crops  to  this  day  consist 
of  mixed  species  of  cereals. 
Going  back  to  old  British  agricultural  practice,  Thorold 
Rogers  finds  frequent  reference  to  “ drage  ” and  “ drage 
malt  ” in  Manor  Rolls  of  the  thirteenth  century  and  onwards. 
“ Drage  ” was  evidently  a very  commonly  grown  crop.  Al- 
though Rogers  considered  “ drage  ” to  be  an  inferior  kind  of 
barley,  it  is  certain  that  it  was  really  the  same  mixture  of 
barley  and  oats  which  is  still  called  “ dredge  corn  ” in  the 
south  and  west  of  England. 
On  the  subject  of  mixing  different  varieties  of  wheat,  two 
hundred  years  ago  Edward  Lisle,  perhaps  the  most  observant 
agriculturist  who  ever  left  his  observations  on  record,  wrote  : 
“Mr.  Johnson,  of  Bedfordshire,  of  whose  judgment  I have 
a great  opinion,  was  under  certain  conditions  inclinable  to 
sow  great  wheat  and  red  straw  wheat  mixed  that  the  former 
might  help  to  support  the  latter  from  lodging  and  falling, 
and  he  has  known  great  wheat  and  red  straw  wheat  often  sown 
in  the  north  in  good  land  for  the  same  reason.”  ^ 
There  seems  no  doubt  that  mixtures  of  different  species 
very  frequently  yield  a greater  total  produce  on  given  area 
' Agricultural  Gazette,  November  1,  1909,  page  418  ; ibid.,  November  22, 
1909,  page  486. 
’ Observations  in  Agriculture,  pp.  74,  81. 
