good many annual weeds, and afterwards rolled with a one-horse roller.

April 26th.-Examined with Mr. P. Shirreff, and found the Hunter's a little paler in colour than any of the others. Hopetoun looking well-Shirreff's looking fully better than the Hunters and Hopetoun, principally because it is tillering out beautifully. Fenton is of a much darker green than the other varieties; it is also tillering out well, but looks if anything thin on the ground.

May 7th.-Crop inspected by a committee appointed by the Highland Society, consisting of its Secretary, J. H. Maxwell, Esq., Mr. Harvey, Whittingham Mains, and Mr. Smith, Whittingham. July 22nd.-Measured the straw, and took the average of four different places in each lot (for height see schedule).

August 1st.-There having been a heavy gale of wind blowing for the last 24 hours, I examined the different lots, and found the Hunter's to be more damaged than any of the other kinds. I estimate the extra loss to be about 2 bushels per acre. Hopetoun a little broken down, but not so much as Hunter's; Shirreff's less damaged than any of the others. Fenton broken down, but not to any material extent.

The different lots were all cut with a reaping machine the same height from the ground; they were stacked separately, and covered in the usual way. The season was upon the whole favourable to the growth of wheat, having been dry, with an average degree of sunshine.

The ground on which the experiment of 1865 was conducted was also a gravelly loam of uniform quality and condition, the previous cropping and management having been the same in all respects as for the trial of 1864.

November 14th.-Sowed broadcast carefully with the hand the Hunter's and Fenton varieties, and on November 17th sowed the Shirreff's and Hopetoun varieties in the same manner; rain having come suddenly on, prevented the latter from being sown on the same day. The ground was previously ploughed, and manured with a mixture of rape, guano, and bones, at the rate of 2 cwts. per acre. The seed sown was the produce of the different varieties grown for last year's experiment; the ground was, as on the former occasion, exactly measured and marked off before being sown, a clear space being allowed between each lot.

April 28th.-Hunter's looking fresher than any of the others; Hopetoun looking well; Shirreff's and Fenton not looking so vigorous as the other two varieties, but still presenting a healthy and promising appearance.

May 16th.-Examined with Mr. Harvey, and we thought the Hunter's looking better than any of the others, all the varieties however looking well.

June 6th.-Hunter's appears to be of a greener hue than the others; Fenton apparently promising to be second best.

July 5th.-Hunter's still evidently taking the lead, the others all very equal indeed.

year.

July 29th.-Measured the straw in the same manner as last

Aug. 19th.-Cut by shearers the half of all the lots.

Aug. 21st.-Cut by shearers the other half of all the lots.

I could not say which variety ripened first; they appeared to be all very equal in that respect, notwithstanding the disparity of dates of sowing. This year I consider to have been also favourable to the wheat crop in this district, possessing the advantage over last year of being without any of these high winds, which so frequently damage the crop before it is fully matured.

Tables 1 and 2 shew the progress of each lot, with dates of ripening, &c., also the weights of straw and chaff; the former was weighed upon a steelyard, the latter put into bags, and also carefully weighed. Table 3 gives the value per acre in grain, straw, and chaff, of the different kinds. The weights and measures used are all of the imperial standard.

In thrashing and dressing the different lots, both years, great care was taken to prevent mixing; Shirreffs I found a little more difficult to thrash clean than any of the other varieties, but I do not consider this to be an objection of much importance, as, where the high speed or English drums are used, it is quite easy to put the drum of the mill a little closer to the concave, when necessary, for different kinds of grain. In estimating the value of the grain I took a fair sample of each variety, stating weight, kind, &c., and had them valued by two first-class corn merchants, according to prices at the time. I estimate the straw and chaff as if, like the wheat, they were to be sold off the ground. It will be observed, on comparing the two years, that there is not any very marked difference in the time of brairding, coming in ear, and being in full bloom, of the four kinds; in crop 1864, however, the Shirreff's and Fenton were four days later of being ripe than the other two, while in crop 1865, they were all remarkably equal in this respect.

Regarding the length of straw, in both experiments, Sheriff's may be said to be the longest, and Fenton the shortest; Hopetoun and Hunter's holding the intermediate places the former being second longest, and the latter second shortest; the weights, however, of straw shew that the shortest (Fenton) weighs more to the bulk than any of the others. In crop 1864, Shirreff's, though measuring 5 inches longer, had only 28 stones more weight than Fenton; and in crop 1865, when measuring 6 inches longer, had 27 stones less weight than the Fenton. This is apparently a peculiarity of the Fenton straw, proving that it weighs better relatively to its bulk than any of the others. There is also a circumstance worthy of notice regarding the Hunter's weight of straw, it being lowest of all the varieties in 1864, and highest in 1865. I attribute this difference to the damage done by wind in 1864, as it was "more broken down than any of the others," also its having been sown one peck per acre thicker may have made the straw of that year a little softer and lighter; the produce in grain of Hunter's, it will be remembered, was also estimated to have been lessened by two bushels, owing to the wind. This is rather an objection to the variety in a stormy or windy season.

The weights of chaff are remarkably similar both years in all varieties; Shirreff's (from the beard) being heaviest, and Hopetoun lightest, both years. All the varieties, except Shirreff's, have increased in yield in 1865; in weight of straw, Hunter's excepted, they have all decreased; this must be owing to the season of 1865 having proved more favourable to the formation of grain, and less to that of straw, than 1864. The weights per bushel have also this year been higher-the grain, from the long continued dry weather, being in much better condition than last year. There is another marked peculiarity of crop 1865, in there being much less light grain than erop 1864. Shirreff's, both seasons, has less than any of the others. During season 1865, Hunter's appears all along to have had the lead, looking fresher and greener than the others, and Fenton, as noticed on June 6th, apparently going to be the second best, has turned out as it looked at that time. The exception above referred to in the case of the Shirreff variety, as regards increase of produce in 1865, seems to indicate that this variety is inclined to deteriorate when sown a second year in the same locality, and, for this reason, I think the seed should be changed every year. The table seems to shew that the Hopetoun variety is the most unsatisfactory experiment, and therefore not a profitable wheat to cultivate, except on some peculiar soils adapted to its growth. So far as these trials throw any new light on the subject, we may conclude that Hunter's and Fenton still hold their old place as our standard white wheats in average years. It must be admitted, how

ever, that Sherriff's is a valuable variety, and, in some cases, on certain soils, may come well up to, if not surpass, its more established competitors.

EXPERIMENTS WITH DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF WHEAT IN 1864 AND 1865.

By JOHN RICHARDSON, Drylawhill, Prestonkirk, East Lothian.

[Premium-Fifteen Sovereigns.]

CROP 1864.

The pre

1. THE soil a heavy loam, with a retentive subsoil. vious crop, potatoes, manured on the stubble with farmyard manure, and a mixture of guano and bones in drill. The potatoes, owing to the dry season, were a light crop, and no additional manure was given to the wheat.

2. Four imperial acres were measured off a part of the field where the soil was uniform in quality. Each acre was surrounded by an open space which was kept free of weeds, and used as a footpath throughout the season.

3. The four varieties of wheat, as named in the Tables, had been exhibited at the Haddington show of seed wheat, and were the best parcels that could be obtained of their respective kinds in East Lothian.

4. On the 20th of October, the seeds were hand-sown, at the rate of two bushels and three pecks per acre, having been previously dressed with sulphate of copper. The sowers were tested as to quantity of seed before sowing the experimental acres.

5. The wheats appeared above ground on the 17th November, and all equal in thickness, and got through winter and spring without loss of plant.

6. All the varieties came into ear about the 15th of June, growing and ripening together, and were cut down on the 21st and 22d of August. From the thickness of plant and the warmth and dryness of summer, circumstances have been unfavourable to displaying the peculiarities of earing and ripening of the different wheats, but in these respects they do not differ much in any season. Although little rain fell during the ripening of the crops, Hunter's became slightly lodged, while the others remained

erect.

7. On the 17th February, 1865, samples of the different wheats were laid before competent judges, who valued them per