1 68 



THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



How the Wheat Straw is Used. - - In the big 



wheat regions thousands of tons of straw are 

 burned every year. Smaller wheat districts burn 

 2 5 to 75 P er cent of the straw. This makes of 

 the straw almost a total loss and therefore such 

 a method can be only temporary. Although 

 there are many minor uses for straw, no means of 



utilizing the 

 bulk of the 

 product has 

 yet been gener- 

 ally accepted. 



Some farm- 

 ers scatter the 

 wheat straw 

 over the fields 

 as a top dress- 

 ing in order to 



D T C V C n t the 



blowing of the 

 soil. Sometimes the grain stacks are placed in 

 groups near gullies ; and, as the threshing is 

 done, the straw is piled into them to prevent 

 erosion. The straw stacks tend to check the water 

 in the gullies and so prevent their further growth. 

 Others place the straw on lower parts of the land, 

 then plow deeply, and thus improve the drainage. 

 These methods of using straw are all better than 

 burning it. 



FIG. 78. A straw stack placed at the head of a 

 gully to prevent erosion. 



