WHEAT CROP 47 



thus save several dollars per ton, 200 pounds per acre 

 of the following mixture is advised : 900 pounds steamed 

 bone meal, 300 pounds high grade acid phosphate, and 

 200 pounds muriate of potash. These may be purchased 

 from fertilizer companies and can be easily mixed with 

 a shovel on the barn floor. 



The average yield for wheat in the United States is 

 but little over thirteen bushels per acre. In view of the 

 fact that the acreage of wheat is decreasing, and the 

 population of the country increasing, there is occasion for 

 alarm over the future bread supply. The future wheat 

 supply must come, not so much from increased acreage, 

 as from increased production per acre. 



Practical Exercises 

 1. Study of the Wheat Plant. 



Take a walk into a wheat field. Note whether the 

 stand is good. Is there a luxuriant growth of stem ? Have 

 the heads filled out well ? PulJ up a single wheat plant, 

 root and stem. Take several wheat plants and a hand- 

 ful of wheat into the schoolroom. Make a drawing of 

 the wheat and its root system. Separate your handful 

 of wheat grains into two piles one containing the 

 plump, large seeds, and the other, the smaller, inferior 

 seeds. 



. The Stooling Habit of Wheat 



Plant a few wheat seeds in pots in the schoolroom, and 

 after they have grown into stems and begun to fall over, 

 dig out a few of the plants without breaking off many 

 of the roots. Volunteer wheat may be found growing 



