The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-10-28
aaritultural mn 0umsstit.
now ToInPROvE WHEAT.

an, H.uett near Brighton, England, has
been experimenting for several years Win We"
10 obtaining a superior species Of wheat lis
account NJ the method be u-ed in this eIperi-
,osnt will be Of interest 20 American farmers
Hs began With What is known as "nursery
wheat" He writes
"Tbe plan Of ssiecs iOn pursued = a. iollo~s
. grain produces a stool. consisting OF many ears
| plant The grAip- from each ear in sucn a man
nsr that each car occupies = rOS By Itself, each
of fts ersins occupying a hole 10 this row the
holes being twelve inches apart every Way. A.
harvest. after sbe most careful study and con-
p.ri4on OF the stool from ali these gram, select
The finest one, which accept a. proof that h.
psrent grain Vas the Oest OF al under the ecu
lar Circumstances Of the season.
This process i repeated annually, starilr {
every year With the proved best gram, alth0us
the verihcatOn q ths superiority i not Obtain
ed until the follO~iag harvest Daring these
Investigations no single Circumstance has struck
me 30 forcibly Illustrating the necessity Tor fe
peated SELECTION than the tact that OF the grtii'
in the sane wear one il found greaty-to excel sl
Others 10 vital power. Thus the original tft
ears contained together - grains, ,le-,
we're ali planted singly One Of these prodle.
10 ears, containing SIS grains; and not ul.
could tire produce Of 10 other single gram CON.
pare With them, bg. the finest ten ears that be
selected IRON the produce Of tie Whole ORE
IS ears contained oaiy b7s grains. e., sop
posing thai this superior grain grew in the -fus'
Ter OF the tao original ears, and that THIS con
taned but 40 grams, there must siil have oee
80 Of these 50 grains which grew 10 the San.
ear.
Thus lar a. regards the contents o. ear
Let - now consider Nlefl,
psiigree 10 wheat, combined With uatur
mode Of caltivating e tas aOovel can pfoiace
number Of ears equal 20 that usually grown 9.
acre uuder the present system. In order o. a.
certain this. Ee ought % kuOw the number
ears ordinarily gro~n from seven OF eight pres
OF seed but there are really 10 data upon th
point. IL has hosever, been considered d
about eqBal tO the number o. grains in a bl-te
or under eight hundred thousand which Il ab0u
one ear TOR every tao grains sOWu. ~il the
compare the number grown an ls6l upon -
pieces Of land, only separated by hedge, ~h.r
the two systems we're iairly tried, the same pee
igree wheat being employed seed DO bot
cases. In the one instance, -ix pecks Of see
per acre we're drilled November z0th, l>6,
aud the crop, resulting Ia "a ushes per acre
consisted, At its thicke-t part, OF eS4 l2D ear
per acre. In the other instance 2 pin'
per acre were planted 10 September, 90 sing
grams, Que foot apart each way. aud the Duu
bsr Of ears produced per acre was l,0Ol,s q
90 76O ears IN excess OF those produced on Oh
other side Of the hedge, from more than twenty
Que lines the seed here employed. NO~, IL a
area OF a square loot = more than anpl, sui
een' tor the dsvslopenent OF single grun,
j. clear that thin seeding i not necessarily attei
dej by a thin crop
1, would appear from this that thin seediu
and early sowing are both benehca'; aud O.,
al ftOmeuse saving NAV be made 90 the quaint
" Of wheat used annually tor seed. IL IS ri
ported further. that the Rhest, when thinly -oN
or planted, grows - strong IN the stra<, g..
While hls neighbors wheat Vas laid down bv
heavy storm of Wind aud rain, Mr. HAlcti
stood Up a. strong a. before the storm.