128 ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



as mucli from an acre as we do, so they can raise it 

 as cheaply as we do on our large farms in the West. 



Kinds of Wheat. There are several kinds of 

 wheat. Some kinds are sown in the fall and remain 

 on the field through the winter. Such kinds are 

 called winter wheat. Others are sown in the spring 

 and are called spring wheat. 



Climate. Wheat is better suited to short summers 

 than is corn, so it can be grown much farther north. 

 For several years farmers have been moving by 

 hundreds to the wide prairies of western Canada 

 for this purpose, and they are making it a great 

 wheat country. 



Preparing the Soil. This crop will grow on a 

 great variety of soils, but it seems to thrive best en a 

 light clay. The land that is to be used for winter 

 wheat needs to be plowed as early in the summer 

 as possible. Such early plowing loosens the ground 

 so it will hold more moisture. The soil should be 

 made fine and loose. For spring wheat one may 

 plow the fall before, or early in the spring. 



Sowing the Seed. Winter wheat is sown early in 

 the fall, so that it may grow strong before the cold 

 weather comes. Spring wheat should also be sown 

 early, because wheat will sprout and begin its 

 growth while the weather is still cool. Six to eight 

 pecks of wheat are sown to the acre, and the seed 

 is planted about two inches deep. The lighter and 

 looser the soil, the deeper should be the planting. 

 In olden times wheat was scattered by hand and 



