Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-09-23
Agricultural.
Thick and Thin Seeding.

The fact that plants yield more largely
when they are furnished with abundan
ROOM and that the thin seeding Of crop
up to certain limits, yields better har
vest than any thicker seeding, is no new
thing. We read Of it in the works OF the
most ancient writer's upon agriculture, and
early historians record facts illustrative Of
the advantages of sowing thinly, and Of
the extraordiary yields of grain from sim
gle seeds. Nevertheless the subject Is as
fresh as ever, aud we see every year good
farmers wasting large amounts Of seed,
and sacrificing large portions oftheir crops.
We have recently seen a piece of oats
sown with one bushel ner acre, which
yielded better crop than a neighboring
field sown with four bushels per acre. A
few years ago we divided ton-acrc field
in five portions, and sowcd themto wheat at
the rate of one bushel, five pecks, six
pecks, seven pecks, and two bushels of
seed per acre. There was no preceptible
difference 10 the yield, the thinnest sown-
ed portion being by far the best of the
field. and the thickest portion the worst.
Near the edge of the field, upon the thin
nest sown part, where the seed had been
thnned out by some pigeons, there were
some stools Of wheat with. thirty stalks,
each bearing an ear: and this part of the
field the difference was mostly shown in
this way, and in the length of the ears.
the other side of the field, where two BUSH !
els had been sown. produced much short. .
er ears than this portion, i
At a meeting of the Midland Farmers t
Club held at Bennington, England, June
last. Major Hallct read q paper upon
hin sowing and selection of seeds 1t
vas Illustrative of his experiments in a
alsing what he calls pedigree wheat" I'll
lie exhibited a single plant Of wheat from J"
single seed planted alone, which bore ga y(
tens, one of barley OF the same charac- :
er bearing ITO stems. and enc of oats u
nth 81 stems. He had stated that crop
t wheat he had sown with single seed 6
lches apart each way produced los bush err
Is per acre. He suggested the expert tol
ent he tried of drilling eight quarts of far
heat per acre early in September, and il
10 quart additional for each week to the in
I'd Of the month. Also that seed to be He
lected from the produce of these plots IN,
future sowing, with reference to its sell
'rdlness, Its truenesS to type, its quality len
the grain, its productveness, its power sat
tlllerlng or casting up numerous stems, till
stiffness Of straw, and It's hardness Of all,
'ening. His plan of selecting seed was sho
take the most perfect grams from the upo
gest ear of the plant with most stalks, soil
d plant them so that the grain from each the
occupied row by itself, each grain as q
u?ied row, and the holes Ia inches
lrt, This plan was repeated yearly, -.
ing each year the best grain produced. 1 ,
this course in several years he had
cecdcd in doubling the length of The r.,
>, in trebIiug their contents, and in in bury
'slpg the tilerng powe! iive.foId. Five conn cor
S Of wheat planted u inches apart field,
Tor N
way, upon an acre of ground in Day
temper, gave l,O0l, $50 ears, or G7, bans bans
ears in excess of the crop from six NE Nc
is per acre sown upon the adjoining 9i Is y
]. Later paintings reduce the crops in p' Bo,
owhat. Two plants with "a ears each S Nsd !
} l,9ll and 1878 grains. 20 ears Tra a!
foot, with AZ grains to an ear, will Day
luce 90 bushels per acre. A bushe ing in
heat produced by thin sowing con- Mai
ID AGO, 600 grains, while bushel of Fitch
nary wheat contains 100000 grains. White
is interesting matter for considera- Trai
and if, as seems scarcely to be doubt River ats ep
hin seeding is more productive than ton Mps al
(, it might be very profitable to ex- 'hSSi irI
nent in this direction. 1t is necessa. S South
remember that for such seeding, to R RoF !. I
lccessful the soil must be rich and Chesh
connet
from weeds BY thorough cultivation. leavin
ough with better farming than We am. Z
have we can raise large crops yet is sloeI
'in that the possibilities of better M Mont
ing are not nearly realized as syet-- tw Den'
rican Agriculturist. A. T thn
--------------------- s-~.s-------- Alba