WHE 



WHE 



495 



iame seed, sown several years in 

 succession, degenerates ; so that 

 the crops continually grow worse. 

 But seed should not only be shifted 

 from one place to another, but also 

 sown on a soil that is different from 

 that on which it grew. It should 

 be taken from a stiff soil for a light 

 one, and from a light for a stiff 

 one. 



As seed wheat cannot always be 

 procured from distant countries in 

 season, farmers at a (ew miles dis- 

 tance should at least change with 

 each other. But in the northerly 

 parts of this country, bringing seed 

 from the southward will not do 

 well, as it ripens the later, 



A soil of good loam, well warm- 

 ed, and stirred, is proper for wheat. 

 But other soils, well prepared, 

 sometimes answer well enough. 

 Wheat succeeds upon the strongest 

 lands well tilled, when they have 

 been drained, and laid dry. 



The way of preparing the soil 

 for a crop of wheat (I mean that 

 which has been most practised in 

 the old countries and has succeed- 

 ed well in this) is, by a good sum- 

 mer fallowing. Three or four 

 ploughings, and as many harrow- 

 ings, at proper intervals, will bring 

 almost any soil, that is not very 

 stubborn, into a good tilth. And 

 if it be thought needful to apply 

 any manure to the soil before sow- 

 ing, let it be old dung or compost ; 

 and let it not be laid on till just 

 before the last ploughing, or seed 

 furrow, as it is called ; so that the 

 corn may have the greatest possi- 

 ble benefit of the steam produced 

 by the manure in the soil. 



Where summer wheat is intend- 



ed to be sown, the ground being 

 previously clear of weeds, by means 

 of a hoed crop preceding, one good 

 ploughing in autumn, and two in 

 the spring, may be sufficient. 



But another good method of 

 preparing the land for a wheat 

 crop, is sowing it with clover. 

 After it has borne two crops of clo- 

 ver, it will be in excellent order 

 for wheat. Give only one plough- 

 ing, sow the seed and harrow it in. 



But whether you sow winter or 

 spring wheat, let the seed be al- 

 ways well washed before sowing. 

 1 need not here repeat what hag 

 been said on the affair of steeping 

 the seed. See the article Smut. 



The time of sowing winter wheat 

 admits of some latitude. Some 

 time about the latter part of Au- 

 gust, or beginning of September, 

 is to be chosen. It may be a lit- 

 tle later or earlier, provided the 

 ground have the right degree of 

 moisture for tillage, and for pro- 

 moting vegetation. The latter 

 should be carefully attended to, 

 and the seeds should never be 

 sowed in ground when it is very 

 dry. Rather than do this, rain 

 should be waited for as much as 

 two or three weeks. 



Wheat that is sowed in autumn, 

 a clover lay excepted, should, in- 

 stead of harrowing, be covered with 

 a shallow furrow, and the surface 

 left rough. It will be less in dan- 

 ger of being killed by the frost in 

 winter, and less injured by drying 

 winds in the following spring. The 

 furrows should be left without har- 

 rowing ; for, the more uneven the 

 ground is, the more the soil will be 

 pulverized and mellowed by the 



