WHEAT. hat these regular servants would cut a much greater proportion of his crop-in Fact one-half more. By this he is rendered ess dependent on those extraneous 'helps' or 'takers' who in the seasons of hurry and anxiety, fix their own terms. "To assign a value for these advantages Es, as has been said before, for the farmer himself; and it will not be an insignificant one. For if beginning harvest a fortnight earlier enables him to save a crop from spoiling once in a lifetime, if the improved quality of his straw as food for his stock, allows him to plough out an acre more, or to pasture another acre of clover with feedng stock, instead of mowing it for his lean stock, every grain saved, every extra bushel of corn produced, and every extra head of stock fed, is a benefit to the whole community as well as to himself, - is so much added to the gross produce and wealth of the country: there being, in fact, an increased return without an increased outlay." (Quart. Journ. of Agr. vol. xii. p. 24.) In a recent obliging communication, with reference to this important subject, made to me (March, 1842) by Mr. John Hannam, he observes in reference to the experiments above detailed, "At the time I wrote you last I stated that the bulk of the wheat reaped by me during the present harvest was unthrashed. I could therefore only give you an idea of the quality of the raw and the ripe by public opinion from a sample sheaf. Since then the various cuttings (for I made several) have been thrashed and ground. The result of which was, 3 bushels of the ripe gave 10 st. 11 lb. of good flour, 1 st. 9 lb. of seconds (technically termed 'sharps'), and 2 st. 5 lb. of bran, 34 bushels of raw gave 12 st. 6 lb. of flour, 12 lbs. of sharps, and 2 st. 1 lb. of bran. From which it appears that the raw cut wheat gave 64 lbs. of flour to the bushel more than the ripe gave, while the latter gave 34 lbs. more sharps and 14 lb. more bran than the former per bushel. "Your question as to the effect of early reaping upon the vegetative powers of the seed I have not answered, because I can give no answer but what depends more upon opinion than fact. I have never seen a practical trial made of wheat, as seed, in the various conditions necessary to warrant a final and definite conclusion. An American writer, commenting upon my experiments, while he coincides with my conclusions as incontrovertible, says that it is equally indisputable' that the ripe wheat is preferable for seed. For all this, I am not disposed to assent blindly to any such doctrine, because I have seen early cut wheat used with perfect success as seed many times." To Produce. The fair produce of wheat (as is well observed by the author of British Husbandry) varies so much upon different kinds of land, and is so much governed by climate and mode of cultivation, that it is difficult to form any acreable estimate of the amount or soils of average quality in ordinary seasons and under the common course of management; it may, however, be fairly calculated at 3 quarters, or, perhaps, 28 bushels per imperial acre. produce the latter quantity, circumstances must, however, be favourable, and anything beyond that may be considered large, though on some land four to five quarters are not unusual. The weight may average 60 lbs. per bushel. The straw is generally reckoned to be about double the weight of the grain; an acre producing three quarters of wheat of the ordinary quality may therefore be presumed to yield about 26 cwt. The use to which the grain is applied is almost exclusively that of food in its various preparations, and chiefly in that of bread, though a considerable quantity—but generally of an inferior or damaged kind — is employed in the manufacture of starch. This preference is due, not only to the superiority of its nutritive properties, but also to their peculiar nature; for "more water is consolidated in bread made from barley, and still more in that from oats; but the gluten in wheat being in a much larger quantity than in any other grain, seems to form a combination with the starch and water which renders it more digestible than any other." (Lects. on Agr. Chem., p. 121.) See FLOUR, BREAD, and GLUTEN. PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS RELATING TO WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN. Statement of the Quantities of each Kind of Grain imported, from 1828 to 1841. *Note. The Returns for 1841 will be liable to alteration (although not to any considerable extent) when she Accounts of that year shall have been finally adjusted. Previously to 1833, the monthly returns of the importation and consumption of foreign and colonial_corn were ollected together, in annual periods, commencing on 1st January, and terminating on 31st December. From 1833, ownwards, they have been made up, like the other accounts of this department, in periods commencing on 6th Jauary in each year, and terminating on 5th January in the year succeeding. This circumstance is necessary to be oted, inasmuch as it explains why the aggregate imports and consumption of the several years, from 1828 to 1832 clusive, as exhibited in the present statement, will be found to differ to a small extent from the quantities shown 1 other accounts, which have been compiled, not, as in this case, from special monthly returns of the corn trade, but rom the ordinary records of the general commerce of the country. *Note. The returns for 1841 will be liable to alteration (although not to any considerable extent) when the acounts of that year shall have been finally adjusted. Statement of the Septennial Prices of each kind of Grain, as prepared for the Purposes of the Tithe Commission, in each Year, from 1835 to 1841. Statement of the Quantities of Wheat returned as sold in England and Wales, by the Corn Inspectors, in each Week and each Year, from 11th July, 1828, to 31st December, 1841 (omitting the Years 1829 and 1831) 63,276 64,481 79,829 71,613 57.247 64,678 59,345 70,204 72.071 69,646 72.740 33.183 67.073 ex 87,121 48.889 61.99 7 90,371 46,605 71,25 GE ! 50,215 67 3 52.518 76.384 en 66.156 79 63.-60 739 69.976 7 57,846 28.019 45,966 60,511 31,867 63,247 74,984 54,775 56,263 70,287 67.223 58,720 42,607 51,806 45,660 69,072 60,370 59,597 42,624 53,824 49,876 84.874 60,224 65,981 57.476 53,130 47,735 78,806 64,071 73,261 69,067 46,329 52,817 84,532 70,941 74.255 76,526 39,160 53,867 68,528 73,500 64,772 80,204 69,433 107,179-TRE 69,945 31,458 47,695 56,498 76,592 62,701 82,098 84,312 108,378 61,610 | 84.687 66.064 32,748 40.761 54,972 69.949 51,216 56,344 67,830 92,139 66,509 86,156 020 71,039 71,507 53,472 48,997 50,090 62.596 62.703 88.461 92 77,797 61,046 56,584 61,192 48,906 72,156 58.725 86,086 79,385 69,913 69,678 49.941 71,538 59.140 79 95,153 86,234 96,296 83.216 85,817 95,225 92,585 87,935 69,221 62,375 80,672 55,086 70,421 71 72,480 54,977 74.525 4 56,695 61,108 75,477 54.154 84.132 608 52,123 71,153 72,254 54.576 85.988 60,131 100.444 168 78,815 91,371 66,697 81.621 77.247 5438 76,462 101,663 88,71 €3 Total 1545,004 3152,857 3296,381 3576,653 3768,602 3927,620 4393,025 3889,007 4064,305, 3174,680, 3850,275 BULT 95,971 100,826 98,261 91,125 93,753 94,309 85,036 101,929 78,411 100,623 84,274 83,664 101,966 75,902 82,834 127,252 89,071 91,956 140,572 92,024 88.404 97,882 80,019 89,172 89,954 85,970 87,285 98,922 89.258-7738 81,516 74.638 83,130 87,580 74,677 83 75,007 75.980 70,637 71,349 72,649 77,446 61.423 717 73.530 77.001 61.01 33 69,000 70,059 75,422 64.964 72 78,536 77.322 82,401 6.35 64 |