84 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



ment is true concerning red and white varieties. A great 

 many varieties of wheat are introduced into the United States 

 from the wheat growing regions of Turkey and Russia. 

 Most of these varieties are bearded, weak-stemmed, so that 

 they lodge easily, and have hard, red grains which make ex- 

 cellent flour. 



A farmer in selecting a variety of wheat for his farm should 

 be guided by his soil and climate and the experiences of his 

 neighbors as well as his own. Some varieties are better 

 adapted for growing on clay soils than on loam soils, and some 

 do better in rich "bottom" lands than others. Then, too, 

 the amount of rainfall and the temperature in a region affect 

 wheat varieties. Some can do well under dry, hot conditions, 

 while others will be failures under the same conditions. 



Wheat Culture. — Soil. — Wheat is best adapted to a clay 

 loam soil. It should not be sown on sandy or muck soils. It 

 grows too rank and the heads do not fill well on muck soils, 

 and sandy soils are apt to be too dry at heading time for the 

 heads to fill well. By filling is meant the development of the 

 kernels in the heads. 



Preparing the Seed Bed.— Wheat will usually repay all 

 extra pains taken in the making of a proper seed bed. A 

 proper seed bed is one that has about two and a half to three 

 inches of fine loose soil over the top of a firm under-soil. 

 Such a seed-bed permits the seed to be covered deep enough 

 and at the same time induces a movement of capillary moisture 

 upward to supply the needs of the young plant in autumn. 



Land for wheat is usually plowed in the autumn. The ear- 

 lier it is plowed the better. It is better to plow six weeks 

 before sowing than two weeks or one week before sowing. 

 As soon as plowed the soil should be rolled and harrowed. 



