356 



ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



destructive diseases of our pampered and weakened races of 

 wheat. It is obvious that this discovery of wild wheat, with 

 its drought-resistant and disease-resistant qualities, is full of 

 possibilities in the development of races of wheat suitable for 

 the drier regions of our country, thus enormously extending 

 the area of wheat-cultivation. In certain parts of these arid 

 regions, what is called " dry farming " has been developed, 

 which means the retention of moisture in the soil by proper 

 tillage; and in these regions a race of 

 wheat called " Durum " has been used 

 with marked success. This Durum wheat 

 is a race that is more closely related to 

 wild wheat than any other cultivated race, 

 and for this reason it is more drought- 

 resistant than the ordinary races. 



59. Cultivation of wheat. Wheat has 

 been cultivated for so long a time and 

 under so many conditions that it has 

 more varieties or races than any other 

 cereal, and to select the best race of wheat 

 for a given area demands the judgment 

 of an expert. There are spring and win- 

 ter wheats, bearded and beardless wheats, 

 soft and hard wheats, etc., and new races 

 of all of these are being announced almost every year. . 



The cultivated wheats require good soil, better than oats 

 will thrive in, and a thoroughly pulverized soil, so as to secure 

 a high degree of water-holding capacity, and at the same 

 time good drainage. 



In preparing the soil for winter wheat, it is ploughed four or 

 five inches deep, then pulverized, and allowed to settle before 

 the seed is sown. The seed is often sown broadcast and then 

 covered with a harrow, but more commonly now it is drilled, 

 a method which secures more even distribution and more 

 uniform depth. Wheat is a hardy plant in enduring cold, 



FIG. 33. "Bearded" and 

 "beardless" wheat. 

 After Internat. Encyl. 



