176 CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 



amount, and especially is this true in the great semi-arid 

 section, and that simply by and through a better under- 

 standing of the soils and their cultivation. 



As there are two distinct kinds of wheat, spring and 

 winter, and the time of seeding so widely different, we 

 must of necessity treat them under the two headings. 



SPRING WHEAT., 



Spring wheat in the northern sections and on up into 

 Canada, has become a very important crop. In preparing 

 ground for this crop little attention has been given in the 

 past to the all important question of storing and conserv- 

 ing the rain water. It has been simply a question of 

 plowing at any time when the farmer was ready to plow, 

 the seeding and harrowing likewise, without reference to 

 the condition of the soil, or the storage of water. 



From 1902 to 1906 there has been a growing tendency 

 to early fall 'plowing. This has been encouraged largely 

 because of the possible rain of sufficient magnitude that 

 might to some degree dissolve the plowed soil and settle 

 it more compactly in the bottom of the furrow. The ten- 

 dency during the same years has been not to plow more 

 than four or five inches. This is because there has not 

 been any general knowledge of soil physics and scientific 

 soil culture. Therefore the attempt to overcome one evil 

 by committing another in the more arid portions of the 

 wheat belt in the northwest and all similar sections. The 

 application of summer culture methods as outlined in 

 this volume would greatly improve wheat growing, land 

 values and prosperity generally, 



As previously stated during the past seven years of 

 our very marked success with summer culture its prin- 

 ciples unfortunately have been confounded with summer 

 fallow. This fact has very materially retarded its general 



