86 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



doing the wheat plants are enabled to make a strong growth 

 and so better stand the cold weather of winter. 



Rate of Sowing. — Experiments have shown that six to 

 eight pecks of wheat sown per acre will give better yields than 

 less. Most farmers do not sow enough seed. Where the seed- 

 ing is not thick enough the plants try to make up for the lack 

 of seed by "stooling" or *' tillering." By tillering is meant 

 the starting of a number of stalks from one seed. At first 

 only one stalk starts, but when conditions are favorable, one, 

 two, three, or more, extra stalks start from the base of the 

 first plant, so that there may be several heads of wheat pro- 

 duced from one seed. Moist, cool weather and thin sowing 

 are favorable to the tillering process. However, it is better 

 to sow enough seed and not depend upon the stooling out. 



Wheat should be sown with a drill. The drill distributes 

 the seed more evenly and covers it better, thus ensuring a 

 better stand of plants. Scattering seed by hand, or broad- 

 casting, is an old-time method, and should not be practised 

 by careful farmers. Where sown broadcast the seed is cov- 

 ered with a harrow. This does not cover evenly, and since 

 the seed cannot be distributed evenly by hand, we cannot 

 expect a good crop from such a method of sowing. 



Harvesting. — Wheat is ripe when the kernels are no 

 longer soft and mushy. This can be told by pinching the 

 kernel between the thumb and finger. At the time the kernels 

 begin to harden the stems and blades begin to turn yellow. 

 Farmers usually tell when wheat is ripe enough to cut by 

 the yellow color of the straw. Wheat should be cut as soon as 

 the kernel becomes hard and tough. If cut later, the grain 

 will shatter out of the head and be lost. When wheat is dead 

 ripe the heads begin to droop. It is now over-ripe and does 



