212 the wheat culturist. 



Rough versus Smooth Wheat Fields. 



Many of our best farmers have of late been accus- 

 tomed to contend, that the rougher the surface of the 

 ground, where winter wheat is growing, can be left after 

 the seed is put in, the more advantageous the rough 

 land will be to the growing plants in protecting them 

 from the severity of the winter. The " Western Rural " 

 states that " Every experienced grower of wheat knows 

 that this rule is more frequently disregarded than it is 

 observed. A moderately rough surface in the wheat 

 field has many advantages over a smooth one ; for in- 

 stance, it keeps snow from being blown away, and thus 

 affords protection to the young plants from the alternate 

 thawing and freezing which is so destructive to their 

 vitality. In spring, after the snow has disappeared, the 

 rough surface affords shelter to the plants from the cold 

 winds which prevail during the early part of that sea- 

 son. In every wheat field may be seen in spring, plants 

 growing in little hollows, sheltered by lumps or banks 

 from the cold wind, but enjoying the benefit of the sun's 

 rays. The difference between the growth of these plants 

 and others which have not the benefit of shelter, is re- 

 markable. Smooth, level surfaces are liable to become 

 a mass of soft mud, when the spring thaws take the frost 

 out of the ground, and much wheat on smooth surfaces 

 is heaved out by the sudden change from frosty to mild 

 weather. It need scarcely be stated that a surface may 

 be too rough and lumpy, as well as too smooth and 

 level. A mean between the extremes of roughness and 

 smoothness is the best state of the soil for the wheat 

 crop." A proper preparation of the soil will be found 

 more satisfactory than a rough surface. 



