WHEAT IN CANADA 275 



plowed as soon as possible in the fall. This per- 

 mits the early seeding which is necessary to give 

 the plant its required autumn growth. Even for 

 spring wheat it is customary to plow in the fall, 

 since earlier seeding in the spring is thus made 

 possible. After plowing, the ground is dragged 

 by wide steel-tooth harrows. Sixty to seventy 



acres is an ordinary day's work for one man. 



After harrowing, the seeding is then done by means 

 of large press drills. About a bushel to a bushel 

 and a half of seed wheat is used per acre, and one 

 man can sow about 30 acres per day. 



Harvesting the Crop. - - After seeding no further 

 care is necessary until harvest time. The winter 

 wheat^Jiarvest begins in Tuly and juns through 

 August. The spring wheat harvest begins __in_ 

 July_iiL Ontario and much of it, especially in the 



^.northwest, js not finished until September. In 

 some sections the harvest comes so late that the 

 crop is occasionally injured by frost before it is 

 ripe. In such sections early maturing varieties 

 are naturally favored. 



The harvest is the busy season. Then the work 

 is rushed, labor is in demand, and long hours 

 are the rule. When the wheat ripens it seems as 

 though all the fields in the vicinity should be cut 

 at the same time. . If cut too early, the wheat 

 suffers serious loss from shrinkage ; if delayed too 

 long, the grain shatters and is wasted. The labor 



