WHEAT CROP 45 



The soil must be well drained, and in a good physical 

 condition that is, it must be open, crumbly, and mellow. 

 Hard clay soils can be made valuable for wheat by iim- 

 nuring, by good tillage, and by crop rotation. Cow peas 

 or red clover make a valuable crop to precede wheat ? for 

 they add nitrogen to the soil, loosen it, allow free circu- 

 lation of air, and add humus to the soil when plowed 

 under. 



FIG. 



FIELD IN SHENANDOAH VALLEY 



Soil preparation. The method of preparing the soil 

 for wheat will depend on the previous crop and the na- 

 ture of the soil. Where wheat is to be sown in standing 

 corn, the most practical soil preparation consists in thor- 

 ough cultivation of the corn crop, keeping the soil mellow 

 and free of weeds throughout the summer. It is much 

 better to cut off the corn and thoroughly disk and harrow 

 the ground before drilling the wheat. Wheat requires an 

 ideal seed bed and a firm sub-soil. 



Seeding the wheat. The time to sow wheat in the 



