A Bad Harvest 



though wheat is not so good as oats for this pur- 

 pose, and I just mention the matter of this un- 

 fortunate crop here again to show the extra labour 

 and trouble, besides loss, that a really badly 

 frozen crop of wheat may entail on the owner. 



It is true that if left till the spring it may hold 

 the snow from drifting, as long stubble does, 

 and so conserve the moisture for the next crop. 



Seeding is, of course, often done on stubble 

 without re-ploughing, the land being perhaps 

 disced once or twice first, and a very good crop 

 may be the result ; but in either case the old stuff 

 must be got rid of, and when this will burn, the 

 prairie probably will also, so there is great danger. 



In such a case it may even be wisest to incur 

 the expense of binder-twine and the labour of 

 cutting, and then burn the sheaves to get rid 

 of the stuff, which is obviously not worth threshing. 



Oats are, of course, a different matter, as even 

 if frozen they may be good for feed, and the straw 

 is better for the same purpose than that of wheat. 



131 



