Year: 1859

so as to beat of none but the most perfect
kernels, and, after careful winnowing,
was thrown across the floor with shovel,
against the wind, aud then again assorted
only that which was heaviest, and there
fore fell the farthest, being preserved for
that purpose; when, if the farmer was
unfortunate and without such grain as he
would be pleased tosow for future crop,
he secured the whole country until he
found some one who could supply him.
in those times there was less talk about
chess, smut, the. rust, the weevil, the
chinch bug, the midge, and Hessian fly,
than in these days, with all our boasted
progress in the art Of agriculture. OF
course we have no desire to fall back into
the "good old times" when the crooked
stick for plow, the sickle, the fail, and
the hand-winnower, jounced upon the
thigh, were the instruments Of husbandry;
but we do insist that the old carefulDess
be restored, and that the progress of the
mechanic arts shall not deceive the farm
er with the vain hope that the time has
come when the physiological laws of the
plant and the slow, noiseless forces of ma
ture may be entirely set aside for patent
methods and new-fangled machines. The
last are good helps, and we glory in the
age which has produced them; let us
thank God for the n but not stultify our
selves by condemning the methods of
nature.


But it is not enough that the seed
should have had a perfect development
and full maturity; it must also have


PERFECT soUSDxEss AND HEALTH, OF


THE GERM,


At the time of planting. In other words,
it must have been perfectly preserved -
This point likewise requires emphasis
and reiteration; for many of the failures
are solely attributable't to neglect of this
important matter.


Wheat and other grains not unfre-
quently spoil in the granary, though per-
feet when harvested. in consequence of
being stored in large heaps when partial
ly green. or damp; and sometimes the
germ is killed blythe frost. Corn suffers
from the cold, and on that account should
be thoroughly dried before being put up
10 keep. The old. fashioned way of sell
ecting from the field, the best and earli-
est ears, braiding the husks together and
hanging them up in the garnet TO dry un-
til spring. is about as safe as any, and
such seed rarely fails to germinate and
bring forth fruit in due season. IF the
quantity required be too great to allow of
this method, then it should be thrown
upon some seahrold floor where there is
constant and free access of air so as to
thoroughly dry before the coming of
wheather sufficiently cold 10 freeze the
germ.


But heat and cold are not the only
sources Of injury to the germ Of seeds ;
the machinery employed in threshing is
not unfrequently destructive to them, as
no one can fail to appreciate who will
note the proportion of seeds which. after
machine threshing, are partially crushed
or broken. 1t is on this account that, in
another connection. we have urged the
propriety of. threshing out the seed by
hand; whereby it will be possible not
only to avoid this danger, but also to
leave such grains in the head as are not
fit to be sown.


4 In the fourth and last place,


THE SEED SHOULD BE PERFECTLY CLEAN,
That is. there should be no admixture oi
the seeds of other plants. The import
ance of this consideration will be fully
appreciated by such farmers as have had
those noxious and almost ineradicable
pests, the daisy, the Canada thistle, sc.
/ introduced upon their lands, through for.
eign importations; while comparatively
few have entirely escaped the annoyance
Of some kind of weeds,


When perfectly pure seed cannot be
obtained, there are three means Of clean
ing, some one Of which, or all together
should be employed without stint of care
or labor. These are, first, screening
thro' we'll arranged tanning selves
secondly. throwing the seed with a
light shovel. or, at least in small quanti
ties, across the barn floor, saving only such
as shall fall farthest from the operator, as
suggested under another head;and. third
ly, washing with water. This last is mos
efectual, and may be easily done by put
ting the best cleaned seed into a vat o.
water. and continuing to stir and skim of
until the noxious seed, which almost with
oat exception will be lighter than tbs
grain to be cleaned, have risen to th'
surface. 1t is hardly necessary to ado
that after washing. the grain must bt
spread out in an exposed place and a
quickly dried as possible.


PREPARATIoN OF SEED.


The soaking of seeds in simple warn
water, with view to facilitate the sprout
! ing, has, to some extent, been practiceC
from time Observation-Disclosures ra
tionally, hut often with injury TO the seed
and of course to the future plant If th'
soil be exactly in the right condition as Il
temperature and moisture, and the seasOI
be too far advanced, there can be Ut
question of the advantageousness of sucl
a process; but if the soil be warm an'
dry-in which condition the process
more commonly used-the quickly sproui
ed germ will be in danger of perishinl
Il before sufficient moisture Is furnished Z