268 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



ter, and &quot;winter-killed,&quot; or chilled, or dwarfed, in the spring and early summer, clay lands 

 being especially liable to this difficulty. The beneficial effects of the best tillage on lands of 

 the most superior quality will be counteracted by a surplus of water; hence, the proper 

 amount of moisture in the soil should receive the first attention. The land should be so well 

 drained that no water will stand in the furrows. The field to be appropriated to wheat cul 

 ture should be well plowed, at least twice, and afterward thoroughly harrowed to reduce it to 

 as mellow and pulverized a condition as possible, as this will serve to unlock the fertility of 

 the soil, and put it in a state to best sustain the growing plant; it should then be well rolled 

 to be as firm as possible before putting in the seed. The old adage, that &quot; Tillage is manure,&quot; 

 is a very true one, and one especially adapted to the culture of wheat. If, after being thus well 

 prepared, a rain happens to fall in sufficient quantity to form a crust upon the surface, it 

 should be harrowed and rolled again in the same manner before drilling or sowing the grain. 

 By the thorough use of the harrow and roller, the best pulverization of the soil can be 

 secured, and a sufficient density given it without packing it too closely, and also leaving it 

 sufficiently porous for the access of air and water. Many of our most successful wheat- 

 growers plow the land, letting it lie for several weeks or even months, thus giving the heat 

 and air an opportunity to act upon the soil, working it occasionally with the harrow and rol 

 ler, until a complete pulverization is secured. The summer fallow is regarded with much 

 favor in some localities. A good depth of soil is indispensable to a large crop, as the wheat 

 plant has two sets of roots, the first set springing from the seed and extending downward; 

 the second extending laterally from the first joint and lying near the surface of the ground. 

 A difference of opinion exists respecting the depth of plowing for wheat, some advocating 

 only three or four inches, others a considerably greater depth ; we are of the opinion that 

 for most soils, from four to five inches is the proper depth, where the land has previously 

 been deeply cultivated for other crops; much, however, depends upon the nature of the soil. 

 In clearing up new lands, such as those previously occupied by a forest, where the trees 

 have been chopped and the soil been burned over, as is the practice in some of the unsettled 

 portions of the country, a fair wheat crop can often be obtained with but slight labor in pre 

 paring the soil, since the proper plant-food for the seed is found in the decaying vegetable 

 matter of the soil, and the ashes of the debris burned in clearing; hence, a good crop of wheat 

 is often grown upon the in verted sod with but little further preparation; but for old lands, the 

 most thorough preparation is necessary. Early plowing is always desirable for wheat crops. 

 If wheat is sown upon oat-stubble, it is best to plow the stubble as soon as the crop is off, 

 and before the ground becomes too hard to plow well. The scattered oats will sprout, but 

 may be destroyed by harrowing thoroughly and repeatedly. 



Fertilization Of Soil for Wheat. Some soils are so rich naturally, that they will 

 require but little or no addition to their fertility to secure a large yield of wheat, but these 

 are the exceptions rather than the rule, and even most of these will, after a few years crop 

 ping, become sufficiently exhausted to necessitate the use of fertilizers in the form of plant- 

 food. This sustenance should always be in a condition for immediate use; hence, coarse 

 manures, that cannot be readily taken up by the delicate-feeding wheat-plant, will not meet the 

 demand, or be of any assistance in sustaining its life until sufficient time has passed for them 

 to become assimilated to its use through atmospheric and other agencies, which often requires 

 two or three years. 



A crop of wheat, if fertilized by coarse barn-yard manure, for instance, might starve 

 before the plant-food that lay within the soil would be in a condition to nourish it. Wherever 

 barn-yard manure is used, therefore, in the culture of wheat, it is essential that it be pulver 

 ized wry fine ; when applied in this condition, it is highly valuable. 



A heavy crop of clover, which has received a good dressing of lime, is sometimes plowed 

 under with very good results; but this should be done several weeks before sowing the 



