THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



where several weeks intervene between plowing 

 and seeding, heavy rains and luxuriant weed 

 growth necessitate more vigorous stirring of the 

 top soil. This calls for the use of the disc harrow 

 prior to that of the tooth harrow. Where this is 

 the case the harrowing is usually delayed until 

 about seeding time. This is in contrast to the 



FIG. 18. A field ready to be seeded to wheat. Note the smooth seed bed. 



method followed in the drier districts, where 

 harrowing follows soon after plowing, often the 

 same day. In some cases it is even accomplished 

 by a small harrow attached to the plow. In this 

 way clods are immediately crushed and a loose 

 surface mulch provided which assists in retaining 

 moisture. This is a great advantage where rain- 

 fall is likely to be deficient. It is, however, a 



