Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-10-17

Of flax which are commonly-of the, g.
ooo. 900 seeds of oats which are some
times sown per acre? There is no destrultcs-
tion by the hoe, id, either instance here.
a single ear Of oats may contain 100
grafhs-a single plant will generally in:
clude six ears, but il 5000. 600 plants
should yield as much as this implies, they
would produce one hundred loads OF grain.
Instead Of, 500 seeds apiece. they yield
but half q dozen each. TO produce an or
binary crop Of oats. 1t is plain that ave
sIxths Of the seeds, or of the plants they
produce, are. Killed in the cultivation Of
the crop and the proportion is vastly
greater than this in the cultivation Of 9TH
er plants. What is the ordinary seeding
Of the clover crop ? Eight pounds of red
clover, four of white clover and four Of
trefoil may be sown- that is at least g.
100000 seeds per aore-a seed on every
inch Of land but instead Of l45. are
there half dozen plants on every square
foot Of the cloverfeld 90 | go
" 1t is manifest that in both of these
cases there is an enormous destruction Ell
ther OF young plants or of seeds; and these
are the two great divisions under which
the causes of this anomaly must:be classed;
faults Of seed and sowing and faults Of
cultivation"
Now suppose from change in the
mode fcultivation and quantity of seed
sown q general increase of yield was
produced, this would not be the only gain
TO the farmer. If he sows SO acres OF
wheat in the current method it will take
from fifty to seventy-ive bushels Of seed
wheat, valued at ST.. so per bushel, least
cost will be from $75 to SII2,50. Let
US take the smaller number of bushels as
the average sown per acre. this gives so
bushels sown at ST., so is $500. Now
take twice as much seed per acre as Rev.
Sidney Smith used-half a bushel per
acre for SO acres gives 25 bushels, at
S so per bushel is $37, so saved, five
save twenty five bushels in seeding so
acres wheat land, what an enormous
amount would annually be saved to the
wheat growers of the United States.
have penned these remarks, MeSsrs.
Editors, as hint to call attention to the
subject, that we SOW too much seed to
the acre and it is. think you will ad-
nit, Of sufficient Importance to demand
the attention of farmers, and lead them to
some practical result beneficial to Agri-
culturists generally.
/ hope to be able TO commence series
of experiments myself, upon this subject,
next year, the result of which shall be du-
ly made known through the columns Of
the American Farmer. 1 might have ci-
ted, to strengthen my argument, the fact
that men. animals and trees grow best
where they are not crowded too close TO.
gether-anI the farmer thins out his corn.
turnips, &C., that those lef may yield
more. Why not sow with the same
grains. or rather why not SOW less on the
same space that each seed may receive
its quantum of nourishment from earth
and air, aud germinate and mature as
God intended it.
l trust Mr. Clemson will soon he able
to give publicisE to his new method Of
cultivation, whereby increased products
may be obtained at but small increased
expense. / caunot but think there are
great secrets yet uufoIded ia respect to
Iilling the earth and cultivating the plants
for mans use. We need careful expert
ments assisted, not governed by, Chemis-
try, nor confined to one location. but gen
eral, to add to our experience and shed
the light needed by US, on the noblest
calling Of man, Agriculture. H. II.
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