250 CHAPTER XIV 



In the Western Province of the Cape, the crop is sown 

 from April to May, while in the Eastern Free State it is put 

 in from April to June. 



Both very early and very late plantings are not recom- 

 mended. The former runs the risk of the plants being killed 

 by frost when in the flowering stage, and in the latter the 

 plants often succumb to rust. 



Cultivation Before and After Seeding. — The pre- 

 paration of the soil on irrigated lands need not be as thorough 

 as that on dry-lands. On the latter the ground should be 

 ploughed early, about January, and left rough so as to ensure 

 maximum penetration of rain. If weedy, cultivation will be 

 necessary. When ploughed very early a shallow-ploughing 

 shortly before planting will be advisable. If the ground is very 

 loose or cloddy a roller might be used to compact the soil and 

 to reduce the clods. If this is not available, a weighted disc- 

 harrow will do good work. The reasons for a compact seed- 

 bed are : — 



(1) A loose soil will not allow proper root development if 

 air spaces are too large. 



(2) A loose seed-bed is apt to dry out quickly. 



(3) If not compacted the undecayed stubble and weeds 

 turned under prevent good contact with the sub-soil and mois- 

 ture does not move about freely. 



(4) The soil particles come into more intimate touch with 

 the seed and the tender seedling has a better opportunity of 

 developing. 



It should be harrowed after this and then the seed drilled 

 in. After the wheat has become well rooted, it should be har- 

 rowed with a light harrow, this can be done once or twuce until 

 the wheat is about 6 inches high, or until the crop starts 

 piping. The object is to break any shower crusts, which are 

 liable to form on certain soils and to aerate the soil. If broad- 

 casted the seed will have to be disced in, or covered by 

 harrowing. 



Irrigation. — The ground should be moist enough at the 

 time of planting to ensure good germination and a fair growth 

 before the first irrigation is necessary. The number of water- 

 ings will depend largely on the character of the soil, the rain- 

 fall during growth, and the variety. It should not be neces- 

 sary to irrigate more than twice before the piping stage. 

 However, from the time of piping until the grain is 

 well-formed the crop is most in need of water and it should 



