136 



Effective Farming 



humus. The organic matter in the soil must be in a more 

 advanced stage of decay than for corn. In many rotations 

 wheat follows corn, which in turn has followed sod that has 

 been manured. In these rotations the manure and sod are 

 well decayed by the time the wheat is planted. Commercial 

 fertilizer is often used profitably for wheat, especially in the 

 older farming regions ; the plants seem to respond readily 

 to the available food in the fertilizer. 



FIG. 48. Grain-drill. 



63. Seeding of wheat. Winter wheat should be sown early 

 enough in the fall to provide for a good root development be- 

 fore freezing occurs. The general rule in northern sections is 

 to plant six or eight weeks before the freezing weather of winter 

 usually begins. Where the Hessian fly is prevalent, especially 

 in the South, the seeding is often delayed until after the first 

 killing frost. (See paragraph 66.) Spring planting is best 

 done as early as the conditions of soil and weather will war- 

 rant, because the plants make their most satisfactory growth 

 in the cool weather. 



Rate of seeding. The rate of seeding varies somewhat with 



