Science and Practice in Farm Cultivation - James Buckman

Now, these experiments showed a want of germinating power, in some of the samples, of more than 50 per cent., and in the 42 samples an average of 24.5 per cent.; from which it will be seen that sometimes the thick sower is not the thick seeder, and his failure of a crop is not always due to slugs and wireworms.

These experiments were published in the Agricultural Gazette, and they evoked some remarks from a learned divine, so unfair and uncandid, as only to be excused by the nature of his professional education and modes of thought. Now, when this gentleman affected to believe that these things could not be so, and that with him every seed germinated, we could only conclude that the days of miracles had not quite ceased; but as, in later numbers of the Gazette, his opinions have been somewhat modified in this respect, we yet think him capable of riding a hobby too hard, though not until the pace has thrown him down and broken his knees will he own it.

2. TABLE OF THE GERMINATION OF WHEAT.
No.	Label. Wheats of 1862.				Weight per bushel.		Price per bushel.			Came up pr. cent.	Failed per cent.	Remarks.
							s.	d.
1	Tasmania				66·		...			46	54			-	These are six samples from the International Exhibition of 1862, to which they were forwarded by various colonists.
2	Ditto				60·	5	...			8	92
3	Tuscan, from Victoria				68·		...			94	6
4	Dittoditto				63·		...			78	22
5	Dittoditto				67·		...			90	10
6	Tasmania				60·		...			30	70
7	Ditto				59·	5	...			28	72				Taken by us; probably the same as No. 6.
8	Talavera				66·		...			98	2			-	Four samples from Hainhault Farm—amongst the best that have come before us.
9	Spalding				63·	3	...			94	6
10	Thick-set Rough Chaff				65·		...			100	None
11	Morton’s Blood Straw				62·	6	...			94	6
12	Hallett’s Pedigree				62·	9	...			78	22				Communicated.
13	Creeping Wheat				66·	5	...			98	2				Ditto.
14	Bland’s Giant Prolific				59·		...			96	4				Ditto.
15	Fuller’s Red				56·	8	...			98	2				A poor grain from the Cotteswolds.
16	Red Straw Lammas				56·	8	7	0		82	18		-		Samples taken by us from Cirencester Market. No. 21 not a seed wheat; it contains 76,800 seeds of corn cockle and 64,000 seeds of rye in the bushel.
17	Hallett’s Pedigree				64·	6	10	6		88	12
18	Browick				58·	5	6	6		88	12
19	Red Chaff White				59·		6	6		78	22
20	Free-trade				59·	5	6	3		88	12
21	Russian				55·		5	7	¹⁄₂	32	68

22	Burwell				58·	5	8	0		18	82
23	Rough Chaff Talavera				60·	5	9	0		90	10				Communicated from a well-known seedsman.
24	Talavera				63·		10	0		38	62			-	These formed a most interesting series of several sorts of wheat—most of which looked remarkably well as hand samples.
25	Corner’s Rough Chaff				62·		10	0		52	48
26	Red Browick				65·		8	0		58	42
27	Chidham				66·	5	10	0		70	30
28	Lammas				63·	3	8	0		58	42
29		-	Britannia, or Red Thickset	-	66·		8	0		54	46
30	Red Nursery				67·		9	0		92	8
31	Col. Quentin’s Giant				68·		9	0		38	62
32	Kessingland				63·	3	8	0		86	14
33	April				60·	3	12	0		84	16
34	Golden Drop				63·	3	8	0		92	8
35	Shirreff’s Bearded Red				60·	5	9	0		74	26
36	Essex Rough Chaff				66·	3	9	0		96	4
37	Hunter’s White				60·		8	0		60	40				Out of condition.
38		-	Shirreff’s Bearded White	-	63·	2	10	0		96	4
39	White Trump				63·	3	9	0		96	4
40	Grace’s White				65·		10	0		38	62
41	Hertfordshire White				62·	2	8	0		94	6
42	Hallett’s Pedigree				66·		10	0		92	8

3. TABLE OF THE GERMINATION OF BARLEY, 1863.
No.	Label.				Price per quarter.	Came up pr. cent.	Failed per cent.	Remarks.
					s.
1	From Sherborne				29	98	2			-	All market samples.
2	„ Martock				29	98	2
3	„ Lulworth				24	96	4
4	„ Crewkerne				28	76	24
5	„ Mr. Masters				28	96	4
6	Odessa				24	96	4

7	From Salisbury				24	100	0			-	Salisbury is considered one of the best places for seed barley. The samples are mostly from the Chalk Rock.
8	Ditto				24	96	4
9	Ditto				24	90	10
10	Ditto				24	92	8
11	Ditto				24	100	0

12	From Langport				28	100	0			-	Like most of our specimens, market samples.
13	„ Chard				27	82	18
14	Stiff-straw				28	82	18
15	Nottingham				32	90	10
16	Chevallier				26	96	4

17	From Yeovil				26	70	30			-	This is a low-germinating series; their uniformity of price and difference in germination is remarkable.
18	Ditto				26	70	30
19	Ditto				26	84	16
20	Ditto				26	94	6
21	Ditto				26	84	16

22		-	Chevallier, sown on farm	-	28	96	4			-	Two good samples, and the yield of the crop of fifty acres each about 36 bush. per acre.
23	American, ditto				28	100	0
24	Ditto				30	92	8
25	New from farm, 1864				30	98	2

	Average					92	8		In round numbers.

Seeing, then, that there were such variations in the germinating powers of wheat, we determined to try a series of experiments with barley; and from the results ([table 3]), it will be seen that, though the margin is not so wide, yet great differences occur; still, with regard to this grain, we constantly find that in samples too thin and poor for even the farmyard poultry to pick up, yet that much of this is capable of germination.

Still, theory and practice confirm the assumption that in England very much seed is wasted by being too thickly sown; and, if a farmer can get his land well prepared and in good time, we conclude, as a matter of practical experience, that just half the seed usually sown will be better than the double quantity; but we should, as a rule, make a difference of at least half a peck for each week that we were beyond the best time of wheat-sowing in any particular district. On our own farm we sowed four and six pecks of wheat where double the quantity had been the rule before Christmas, and from six to eight pecks afterwards; six pecks of barley and oats, where a sack had previously been the rule. With the wheat and barley we were right, except in the very late-sown of the latter, when time was only sufficient to grow a single head, and not to allow of stooling. Here a sack would have given a better result. The same with our oats: thin seeding caused them to run to straw; they were on a poor sand, taller than the men who cut them; but had we doubled our seed, we conclude we should have had shorter straw and more corn.

If, then, these things be so, the judgment of the farmer will be best shown in rightly weighing all the circumstances of his case; and in the matter of seeding, as with physic, he will find that homœopathy alone is only quackery.