2T8 THE WHEAT CULTURIST. 



portions of the sod may break up and remain on the sur- 

 face, by the action of the seed harrows, thus securing the 

 same object sought by the second ploughing. 



4. 



RAISING WHEAT ON MUCKY SOILS. 



In many places, where a black, mucky soil, several 

 inches deep, rests on a heavy subsoil, by turning up two 

 or three inches of the latter in autumn, and mingling it 

 thoroughly with the soil, draining if necessary, and ma- 

 nuring, a very good wheat soil may be formed in a few 

 years. Where the muck is so deep that the clayey sub- 

 soil cannot be reached with a plough, and clay can be 

 obtained within a distance of half a mile, it will pay to 

 apply eighty or a hundred loads per acre. The best 

 time to spread it is late in autumn, or in winter, that it 

 may be acted upon by rains and frosts. Still, if applied 

 in the spring, and ploughed in, the effect will be good 

 on the crop the same year. Portions of fields frequently 

 are very heavy, while other portions are composed, for 

 .the most part, of vegetable mould. The practice of the 

 writer has been to haul mucky soil and spread it on the 

 heavy clay ; and in all cases, the application has pro- 

 duced an equal, or better effect for wheat, than a liberal 

 application of good barn-yard manure. As there is a 

 great difference in muck, this might not always be the 

 case. Compact, heavy soils contain a large amount of 

 wheat-producing material ; but they need to be made 

 light and porous, so that the roots of the wheat plants 

 can permeate the entire soil as deeply as it has been 

 pulverized. 



On some kinds of soil, a dressing of muck will exert a 

 marvellous influence in producing a heavy crop. Yet, 



