20 WHEAT CULTURE. 



to generally give a better quality of grain. It is much 

 practised in England and other parts of Europe, and has 

 been adopted by some growers in this country, who uni- 

 formly acknowledge valuable results therefrom. Among 

 other advantages claimed for it are these : it more than 

 doubles the yield for a given quantity of land and seed 

 by allowing much better tillering out ; it keeps the land 

 clean, any cockle or other weeds can readily be removed 



Fig. 1. THE WHEAT HOB AT WORK. 



that may get into the rows of wheat ; better opportunity 

 is afforded to dislodge insects and to apply ashes, lime, 

 plaster, sulphur, or other remedies, for diseases and in- 

 sects; the grain is more pleasantly cut and gathered, 

 giving twice the profit on every acre. 



The engravings, figures 2 and 3, show the difference 

 between wheat not hoed and that hoed. 



EARLY HARVESTING. 



One important operation to assure large profits from 

 the wheat crop, is early harvesting, as soon as it is passing 



