144 FUNDAMENTALS OF AGRICULTURE. 



soil, and on the liability of insect injury than is true of 

 oats. It has often been said, and quite truly, that the 

 earlier and better the seed bed is prepared the later 

 the seeding may be delayed. 



In the winter wheat belt it is usual to seed anywhere 

 from September 20 to October 15, depending largely 

 on the factors already stated. In the spring wheat 

 areas the seeding is done as early as possible, since 

 results secured from grain so seeded are superior to 

 those of later sowing. The rate of seeding will vary 

 as greatly as does the type of wheat sown. A seeding 

 of from four to eight pecks per acre, with a strong 

 tendency toward the smaller amount, is a very com- 

 mon practice. 



Wheat Harvesting. The harvesting of wheat is in 

 no way different from that of oats, with the exception 

 that in the western part of the United States machines 

 called the " Combines " are used in harvesting. A 

 " Combine " is simply a combination of a harvester 

 and a thresher, so that both operations are performed 

 at one and the same time. 



Wheat Yield. The average yield per acre of 

 wheat is far less than that of oats. The general aver- 

 age in the United States for the past ten years is 14 

 bushels per acre, while England has averaged 32 

 bushels and Germany 28 bushels per acre during the 

 same period. That the yield per acre can be greatly 

 increased by a better preparation of the seed-bed, a 

 more careful selection of varieties and a systematic 

 grading of the seed grain has been demonstrated by 

 a number of experiment stations. At the University 

 of Illinois as an average of the past six years, and 

 with eleven varieties of wheat, the average yield per 

 acre has been 35 bushels. This yield has been sur- 

 passed by a number of farmers throughout the state, 

 some of whom have exceeded 50 bushels per acre. 



Wheat Enemies. Wheat has a greater number 

 of enemies than oats. Of the weeds, cheat (Bromus 

 secalinus) and cockle (Agrostemma githago) are 



