So 



THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



The results of Utah, North Dakota and Minnesota in plowing 

 in fall and spring for spring wheat are only slightly in favor 

 of the fall plowing so far as yield is concerned, but early fall 

 plowing is generally advocated by these stations in the interest 

 of weed and insect destruction and more economical farm man- 

 agement. In Manitoba, spring plowing has given better results 

 than fall plowing, while summer fallowing has given better results 

 than either.^ 



127. Depth of Plowing. — Generally speaking, plowing less 

 than four inches or more than eight inches deep has not been 

 found desirable. Within and even beyond these extremes the 

 depth of plowing should vary with the character of the soil and 

 the subsoil, but no specific rules can be laid down. In all cases 

 the variation in yield due to depth of plowing has been slight. 

 Subsoiling has not been found economical by any experiment 

 station reporting results, and in some cases the yield has been 

 reduced. 



128. Preparing Seed Bed Without Plowing. — It is a common 



practice on the friable loam soils of the Mississippi Valley to 



drill winter wheat without plowing 

 on land which has just produced 

 a crop of maize. In many in- 

 stances the wheat is drilled in the 

 standing maize without any pre- 

 vious preparation, by drawing a 

 five-hoe drill between the rows. 

 Where the land is weedy the drill 

 is sometimes preceded by a harrow 

 drawn by one horse. In this case 

 the soil has the proper surface pul- 

 verization from the cultivation of the maize and is compact 

 below. Afterward, at the proper time, the maize is husked. In 

 the winter or spring, when the ground and stalks are frozen, the 

 » Can. Expt Farms Rpt 1899. 



Five-hoe grain drill. Hoes may be 

 adjusted to different widths. 



