a 
698 
The specimens give a mean— 
For the straw, ° 1116: 
PeMmChattau are - f 199°6 
Straw and chaff, 1315°6 
Mean length of straw, 44°3 inches. 
It will be seen that the highest number in the series 
does not much exceed 1,500 of straw and chaff to 
1,000 of grain. The chaff of the red..straw white 
wheat, it will be observed, is larger in quantity than 
WHEAT. 
that of the Hopeton. This is probably a peculiarity 
of the variety. How far may this variation in the 
chaff affect the ripening of the two varieties? 
‘¢ We next give a table of the same kind, embrac- 
ing 15 specimens of different kinds of wheat received 
from Sir J. Johnstone. These were all bagged, and 
therefore the quantities represent very nearly the 
total straw; indeed in six cases the entire plant, in- 
cluding the root, was sent to us, and the estimation 
of straw effected after removing the latter at the dis- 
tance of an inch and a half from the extremity. 
No. of Length Weight Weight Weight of 
Speci- Variety. Soil. of of of Straw and 
men. Straw. Straw. Chaff. Chaff. 
Inches. 
13 Creeping wheat, . Clay and grit, 39 957°7 188-0 1145:7 
14 Talavera, . : Ditto, 44 1175-0 164°9 1339-9 
15 White Wheat, Ditto, : 4() 1184-0 161°4 1545°4 
16 Talavera, . : Calcareous loam, : ; 38 1155:0 174:9 1829°9 
17 Creeping wheat, Ditto, CO am 39 1071-0 116°3 1187°3 
18 Ditto, ‘‘ Hazle loam,” 42 1143:0 198-8 1341°8 
19 Ditto, Heavy tough clay, . 42 1032-0 165°8 1197°8 
20 Talavera, . : Tough clay, 43 1068-0 176-1 1244-1 
val Hammond’s wheat, Free clay loam, 40 932°4 191:2 1123°6 
23 Red wheat, Weak clay loam, 38 919-3 242°9 1162:2 
24. White wheat, Weak sandy clay, . Al 1009-0 178:2 1187-2 
25 Creeping wheat, Red clay, : 40 981-0 179°5 1160-9 
26 Ditto, Clay and sand, 44 1272-0 179-0 1451-0 
27 Ditto, Ditto, . 45 1279:0 185°6 1464°6 
28 Ditto, Calcareous rubble, . 45 1192-0 181-1 1373:1 
Of the 15 specimens here given, only in one instance 
does the united weights of straw and chaff reach 
1,400; and the greater number of specimens fall far 
short of this amount. The mean of the whole is— 
For the straw, 1091-4 
ae veeclia tts Wits < 178°9 
Straw and chaff, 12703 
Mean length of straw, 41°3 inches. 
** Let us compare the mean of all these specimens 
from different localities. 
Length Straw 
of Straw. Chaff. and 
Straw. Chaff. 
Inches. 
11. Specimens from College Farm 36:0 991°3. 2056 1196:9 
12 Specimens from Mr. Morton 43'3 109975 181°6 1281-1 
15 Specimens from Sir J. Johnstone 41:3. 1091-4 1789 12703 
Taking the mean of all these, we shall obtain the 
following numbers: — 
For the straw, x n 1060:°7 
oe Len atie wal. é ‘ 1887 
For the straw and chaff, 1249°4 
Mean length of the straw, 40:2 inches. 
It would thus appear, from a careful examination of 
38 specimens collected promiscuously, that the straw 
and chaff together never exceed 1,500, the grain 
being taken as 1,000—or, in other words, that the 
former are, at the highest computation, one and a 
half times the weight of the latter; and in these par- 
ticular cases the length of the straw is very consid- 
erable, and certainly beyond the average of this, if 
not of most other seasons. As, however, in by far 
the greater number of cases the proportion of straw, 
including the chaff, falls very far short of this, we 
have every reason to believe that the mean which 
we have obtained rightly represents the relation of 
straw and chaff to grain this year. 
1,250 of course gives one-fourth part more in weight, 
or about 17 cwt. of straw and 3 cwt. of chaff to 30 
bushels of wheat at 61 lbs. Ona farm of 400 acres 
of ordinary fertility, and cultivated on the four- 
course system, we might fairly consider that. the 
average produce would amount to 28 bushels an acre 
The number 
of 61 lbs. to the bushel. On the calculation of the 
proportion of straw and chaff already deduced from 
our experiments, their united weight from the 100 
acres (the grain being in weight 753 tons) would 
amount to rather more than 953 tons, including 143 
tons of chaff. At the same time we must in fairness 
remark, that all observers agree in ascribing to the 
character of the season the most marked influence on 
the quantity of straw in relation to grain. Boussin- 
gault mentions crops grown at Bechelbron in two 
consecutive years, which differed most extraordinarily 
in this respect. In the first year (1840-41) the sea- 
son was very wet; the second (1841-42) was remark- 
able for extreme drought. In these opposite condi- 
tions the weight of straw to grain was— 
In 1840-41, as 100 to 40 
In 1841-42, A as 100 to 90 
Converting these numbers into others which may be 
compared with our own, we have 
5 Grain. Straw. 
In 1840-41, 1000 to 4160:2 
In 1841-42, 1000 to 11160 
The latter number very nearly approaches our own 
mean for this year (1,250); the other instance exhi- 
bits a most extraordinary deviation. Boussingault 
states the ordinary relation of straw to grain at Be- 
chelbron to be as 100 to 38 (or as 2,631, grain being - 
taken at 1,000), and quotes in support of this being 
a probable average the following results of other con- 
tinental observers :— 
For 100 of straw— Or grain as 1000. 
Thaer gives 50 of grain 2000 straw. 
Podewils aA : 35 ane . 2857... 
Berger ‘ 41 < FOR 306 
Block 33 3030 
Dierexen 39 2564 
Schwertz 44 2272 
It is not stated whether the chaff is included in the 
calculation, but we suppose that itis. In the Jour- 
nal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England 
will be found many accounts of the estimation of 
straw and grain of wheat, in which the proportion of 
straw and chaff to grain is generally found to be be- 
tween 14 and 23 that of the grain. If, then, our re- 
sults merit confidence, they would plainly prove 
either that the straw of this year is exceedingly small 
