Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-09-04
WHEAT AND OATS---THICK AND
THIN PLANTING.

The editor of the Gardeners Chronicle
and agricultural Gdzette, (Lonjon,) in
notice Of recent work of Mr.. Patrick Shir-
eff, writes as follows
Our trials Of oats have always been on the
scale of farm crops, but, inasmuch as the
kind, the quality, and the quantity of seed
have all been matters of iorethought, and
their resultshave been duly watched and noted
our experience may be said to partake Of the
nature and possess the value and importance
Of experiments.
The soil We have usually planted with oats
has been ligh. sandy loan, and this crop
has been chosen because the land was too
light to insure US good wheat crop.
We got the best sample we could of black
oats of forty pounds weight, and sowed them
to the extent Of sack an acre and the re-
suit of this first trial was about thirty bush.
els to the acre, weighing thirty eight pounds
per bushe. OF course the grain was thin,
and there was also an increase Of that limit
ed hairiness at the base Of many of the corns
which points to u retrogression from the
character of the plumper seed.
Our next trials were with white oats Of
the weight Of forty-seven pounds per bushel
seeded u sack to the acre. The results in
this case we're forty bushels to the acre of u
good even seed, but weighing enly forty-fve
pounds per bushel that is two pounds less
than the sample sown.
The next year our oat experiments were
considerably modified, for We had determined
to SOW but two bushels of seed instead of
tam h,,akols 10 Nha and npkt oh
to get the heaviest seed in the market, we
procured a sample weighing somewhere about
iortJ-eight pounds per bushe, These were
sown at the rate Of two bushels to the acre,
and resulted in crop of nearly forty BUSH
els to the acre, weighing as much as the
sample sown. Now it is worthy Of remark
that neighbOr's oat crop Of the same year
was not only Of the nature Of an experiment,
but it was also a lesson on the subject Of
thick seeding which we shall not soon forget.
This crop, like our own, was the white Cana
dian oat, sown in field of the same kind Of
soil, but if anything the land was of better
quality. Our attention was directed to this
crop by our neighbor himself, who could not
make out why his crop was so inferior.
Ga seeing the field while the crop was be-
ing cut. the first remark made was, " You
have seeded too thick" and sure enough,
upon the mistaken principle that if you
don't put it in you can't expect to get it
out" more than a sack an acre had been
sown, and thus, while in our own case the
straws were remarkably regular both in
height and size, the average of the latter
being that of a good-sized goose-quill sur
mounted by panicle Of from 100 to 300
grains OF corn, the majority of the culms of
thick sOwn crop, growing beneath few OF
taller and larger growth, might be compar-
ed to crow.quills, their seeds numbering
from five to twenty. We had no means oil
verifying the weight OF the produce, but
should estimate it at not over forty pounds
per bushel.
These differences, then, we put down to
want of choice in seed people in general
caring not how poor is the seed they sow
and to too thick seeding-evils which, We
feel sure, are at the bottom Of more bad
crops than almost any other.
The ear Of wheat is greatly affected by
the state Of the crop when growing, Wher