232 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



east, southeast, northeast central plains, northwest 

 central plains, southwest central plains, western 

 valleys and plains. 



Wheat Production in the Northeast Region 

 of the United States. - This region includes the 

 New England and the Middle t Atlantic states. 

 Only spring wheat is raised in the former. In 

 general it may be said that neither New England 

 soil nor climate is very favorable to wheat pro- 

 duction. The summers are short, moist, and 

 cool ; the winters, long and severe. The balance 

 of the region, however, is important as a winter 

 wheat producer, this being especially true of New 

 York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. There the 

 soil is generally more favorable, the summers 

 warmer and longer, and the winters less severe. 



The rainfall of the region is high, from 40 to 50 

 inches annually, and is fairly well distributed. 

 The percentage of sunshiny days is here not so 

 high as it is in the interior states, and the harvest 

 season not so free from rain. Largely because of 

 these climatic conditions, soft wheats are grown. 



Methods of Cultivation. - Throughout much of 

 the region the land is hilly, and the fields are small. 

 This condition accounts for the fact that much of 

 the plowing is done with walking plows, pulled by 

 two or three horses. The autumn is the plowing 

 season. For winter wheat, the ground is harrowed 

 soon after plowing, but for spring wheat that 



