WHEAT. 123 



preventing the snow from drifting off the wheat. It 

 is doubtful, however, whether the yield of wheat is so 

 great as when a good seed-bed has been prepared by 

 plowing. 



Burning stubble when wheat follows small grain is 

 sometimes advocated because it is possible to obtain 

 a more compact and finer seed bed, and because it 

 burns weed seeds, insect enemies and germs of plant 

 diseases. Against the practice it is urged that organic 

 matter and nitrogen are lost by burning. It would 

 seem that the desirability of burning the stubble 

 would depend upon the relative importance of these 

 various elements in a given locality. There are some 

 instances of very good results from burning stubble. 



It is generally conceded to be good practice to plow 

 as early as practicable after the previous crop has 

 been removed, so that the soil may become compact 

 before the seed is sown. Just before seeding the 

 land should be thoroughly pulverized with some 

 suitable implement. The kind of implement will de- 

 pend upon the nature of the soil. 



Both practice and experiment show that drilling is 

 better practice in seeding winter wheat than sowing 

 broadcast. The wheat is more uniformly distributed 

 .and covered and is sown at a more even depth. It is 

 believed also to be less easily winter killed either by 

 freezing or heaving. The drill makes little furrows 

 in which the snow lodges and is prevented from be- 

 ing blown away. The amount of snow held in the 

 furrows is sufficient to modify the temperature of the 

 soil considerably. The wheat is less likely to be 

 heaved out from fi*eezing and thawing. The soil at 

 the bottom of the furrow offers greater resistance to 



