

WHEAT 79 



temperature as 84 F. The temperature in the spring is still 

 considered favorable when the range extends from 60 to 80. The 

 seed as a rule should not be over one or two years old. Saunders, in 

 his experiments extending over a period of six years, found these 

 results in vitality: Wheat one year old, 82 per cent; three years 

 old, 77 per cent; four years old, 37 per cent; five years old, 15 

 per cent; six years old, 6 per cent. The depth of plowing in 

 breaking the ground for wheat is, generally speaking, more than 

 four inches and less than eight. Subsoiling has not been shown to 

 be of any particular value. 



As a rule from one to two inches is the most satisfactory depth 

 for planting wheat, but 

 this will vary with the 

 kind of soil, the mois- 

 ture, and the lay and 

 the conditions of the 

 seed bed. Sandy soils 

 require deeper plant- 

 ing than clay soils. 

 It is also advisable to 

 sow deeper in dry soils 

 than in wet soils. Gen- A grain dmi. 



erally speaking, in sowing wheat, drilling is more satisfactory than 

 broadcasting for the following reasons: 



1. Drilling is more economical. 2. The seed is distributed uni- 

 formly. 3. It is sown at a more even depth. 4. The seed is placed 

 in moist soil and rapid germination is insured. 5. It is protected 

 against freezing, since the drill makes little furrows in which the 

 snow collects and is kept from blowing away. This layer of snow 

 prevents the wheat from freezing out. 6. The wheat is less likely 

 to be heaved out irom sudden freezing and thawing. 7. The seed 

 is protected from heavy winds, which would blow away the soil and 

 leave the seed bare if it were broadcast. In this case the soil drifts 

 into the furrows and tends to deepen the covering. Nearly all of 

 the Federal and State Experiment Stations report that drilling 

 increases the yield from two to eight bushels per acre. South 

 Carolina and Iowa, however, report in favor of broadcasting. 



The quantity of seed to be sown per acre varies according to the 



