48                 THE WISCONSIN FARMER.
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corn ripening, the seed from the largest ears Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire,
Worcester-
only was selected and sown for the following shire, and Herefordshire-the
taste. smell and
year; when fully grown, the seed from the economical value varying with the
district
largest ear of the second year's growth was where grown. It was our pleasure
while on a
selected and sown, and so on until the present visit to some of these counties,
to see immense
results were attained, at the end of the fourth fields, and a great many
of them, standing
year."                                        thick with luxuriant growths
of this crop so
  There is philosophy in this mode of selecting essential to ale and beer
drinking Old Mngland.
and improving seed, and the specimens exhib-  GK.4ss SEEDs.-No country in
the world that
ited by Mr. Hallett were interesting demon- we have yet seen can compare
with the British
strations of what might be diouc in this way. Isles for the production of
the best varieties of
One grain from the original ear or head- the Grasses. Such soft, beautiful,
and ever-
which was rather small, only three and a half verdant meadows and charming
velvet lawns
inches long, and contained only 87 kernels- as are common there we have never
seen else-
was planted December 17, 18,57, and produced where. This superiority is owing
to the almost
10 heads and 688 grains. One grain from this unvarying moisture of the atmosphere.
Less
produced 17 heads with an aggregate of 1,190 rain falls during the year than
in many parts
grains; the largest head containing 91 grains of this country, but owing
to the insular posi-
and being 7 inches in length. One grain from  tion of (Great Britain, the
pinching drouths so
this head produced 3I¶' heads. containing 2,145 injurious during certain
summer and autumn
kernels, but the season was bad and the crop months here, are never known
there.
not otherwise bo good as it should have been.  The exhibition made by Messrs.
Sutton &
Nevertheless, one grain from this best head Sons, Seedsmen by appointment
to her Majes-
produced 5.2 other heads. of which the largest ty, the Queen, to the Government
Gardens of
was nine inchus in lenyth and prolific in propor- India, and the R'oyal Agricultural
Society of
lion. By the process described the " tillering " the Cape of Good
Hope, was one of the finest
  properties of this wheat were so improved that displays we have ever seen.
Among a thou-
  one bushel was said to be "-ample for four sand distinct and popularvaricties
of farm and
  acres if properly platited'                   garden seeds, there were
one hundred and
    Rye is but little cultivated in Great Britain. twelve sorts of grasses,
representing the mead-
    Barley is extensively cultivated for mnalting ows, lawns and pasture
lainds of the various
  purposes, and as food for cattle. Indeed, in portions of the kingdom.
  Scotland it is much used as human food-par-  OTUtJB VE(GETA1BLE PBODV(ThS
used as food
  ticularly in the forni of what is known as were there in great variety.
Tea from China,
  "s pearl barley,"' which is simply the grain de- Java, Assam,
Japan, and tea produced at home
  prived of its husk. and rounded in a nmachine  _hlack teas without number,
and alone fit for
  constructed for that purpose.             the beverage of Christian mortals:
and green
     Oats likewise succeed well and are in favor; teas in multitude, so cleverly
colored with clay
  being used not only as food for animals but and Prussian blue by the Celestials
for the
  also, in the form of oat-meal gruel and groats, *silly barbarians "
of other lands.
  as a very common food for the poorer classes  Coffees, chocolates, cocoas,
chicory, &c., &C.,
  of the people, many of whom make it their and sundry samples of the "
vile weed," home
  chief and almost only diet.                  produced and foreign, were
also present.
     Samples of numerous varieties of beans,   India-rubber, gutta-percha,
&c., together
   peas, tax-seed, Uc., &c., were present, but the with numerous illustrations
of their applica-
   limits of our space will admit of no special bility in the manufacture
of many articles of
   amount of them.                              laxury and use, were also
exhibited in this
      Hope were there from the famous counties of connection, but as these
are all the natural