WHEAT 



43 



Fig. 8. A two-row lister with eight horses listing from eight 

 to nine inches deep, Hays, Kas., Experiment Station. 



The seed bed for wheat and other small grains 

 should be mellow at the surface, but firm and well 

 settled below the depth at which the seed is 

 planted. This provides the best conditions for 

 supplying the moisture, air, and heat to the ger- 

 minating seed and young plants. Deep plowing or 

 deep listing should be encouraged, but it should 

 be timely so that the soil may settle and fill with 

 moisture; and such cultivation should be given 

 after plowing or listing to secure a favorable phys- 

 ical condition of the seed bed. 



Plowing the land early, well in advance of 

 seeding is essential, especially in the dry farming 

 areas of the western plains. Early plowing com- 

 pared with late plowing has given largely in- 

 creased yields at the Oklahoma, Kansas and 

 Nebraska experiment stations. (See Tables III 

 and IV.) 



