207 



require to be steady, and trained for the purpose. In some drills the 

 shares or coulters are too close together, and the tubes are too narrow 

 and deposit the seed in a narrow line. I would wish to have the drills 

 nine inches asunder, and each drill two inches wide, that each of the 

 plants may have a little space for itself. 



Much difference of opinion exists as to the proper depth to cover 

 wheat. In several cases both the disputants are right, for wheat cover- 

 ing should be regulated by the quality and condition of the soil. 



Nature never intended that the seeds of the grasses should be cover- 

 ed deep, as in her system of propagation, the seeds are sown on the 

 surface, and consequently receive little if any covering. 



If wheat be sown deep in the soil, it will form surface roots, and the 

 lower roots will decay. If it be sown tolerably near the surface, it will 

 form surface roots, too, but the lower roots will not rot, they will con- 

 tinue to support the plant ; a moderate depth is best, and as this must 

 be regulated according to circumstances, a certain rule cannot be adop- 

 ted. 



Rich prairie land, when broken up deeply, the grass having been pre- 

 viously burned off, or turned down carefully and correctly, often yields 

 about 25 or 30 bushels of wheat to the acre, for the first year, and 

 something more the second year, as the sods and fibres have become 

 decomposed. Prairies are sometimes deficient in silica as well as in phos- 

 phorus and lime, and if these manures were supplied in proper propor- 

 tions, a very great increase in produce would be the result. Harrowing 

 and rolling in spring, are of great benefit to wheat, as by these means 

 the crust of the soil is broken up, lumps are pulverized, and hurtful in- 

 sects exposed to destruction. 



Fallowing is going out of fashion among improved agriculturists, as 

 it is not considered good rural economy to have the ground remain idle 

 for a year. The system of half fallowing, or preparing land for wheat 

 after another crop of same kind has been removed, is coming into ope- 

 ration, in this case as well as in every mode of preparation for wheat, 

 correct and careful plowing is of primary importance. 



QUANTITY OF SEED PER ACRE. 



With the exception of the comparative utility of deep or shallow 

 draining, there is no question on which farmers differ so nmch as that 

 of thick or thin sowino:. Several scientific acrriculturists recommend 



