154 WHEAT 



poor work on fallows or onfall or spring cultivation. 



"Fallows that have been plowed for the first 

 time after the first of July, and especially after 

 July 15, have never given good results; and the 

 plan too frequently followed of waiting till weeds 

 are full grown, and often ripe, then plowing them 

 under with the idea of enriching the soil, is a 

 method that cannot be too earnestly condemned. 



"In the first place, after the rains are over in 

 June or early in July, as they usually are, no 

 amount of work, whether deep or shallow plow- 

 ing, or surface cultivation, can put moisture into 

 the soil. The rain must fall on the first plowing 

 and be conserved by surface cultivation. 



"Weeds, when allowed to attain their full 

 growth, take from the soil, all the moisture put 

 there by the June rains, and plowing under weeds 

 with their seeds ripe or nearly so, is adding a 

 thousand-fold to the myriads already in the soil, 

 and does not materially enrich the land. 



"Packers are without doubt most useful imple- 

 ments on the farm and where from any cause, the 

 soil is loose, they should be used. They are, 

 however, expensive implements and within the 

 means of comparatively few of the new settlers. 

 Fortunately, early plowing and frequent shallow 

 cultivation may be depended upon to produce 

 almost equally satisfactory results in the majority 

 of cases." 



CULTIVATION OF STUBBLE 



"When farmers summer-fallow one-third of 

 their cultivated land each year, as they should, 

 one-half of each year's crop will be on stubble. 



