66 



WHEAT 



It is seldom necessary to cultivate the wheat 

 seed bed after seeding. The necessary cultivation 

 to cover the seed should be given the broadcasted 

 field. In the growing of wheat the preparation 

 of a favorable seed bed should leave the soil mellow 

 at the surface. There are usually no heavy 

 showers in the fall after the wheat is sown or 

 early in the spring, the wheat grows rapidly, and 

 by stooling soon covers the ground and protects 

 the soil from beating rains. Thus wheat needs 

 less cultivation after planting to maintain the soil 

 mulch than is required by corn or other intertilled 

 crops. 



After the wheat is up several inches and begin- 

 ning to stool it may sometimes be harrowed 

 with a light harrow or "weeder" to break a crust 



Fig. 19. With a gang of harrows one man can cover eighty 

 acres a'day. 



