the climate, soil and precipitation should determine the variety which 

 will be the most profitable. In the United States, a winter wheat 

 known as Turkey Red is the favorite, and Fife and Blue-stem are 

 regarded as the best spring wheat varieties. In the semi-arid west, the 

 Durham or Macaroni are becoming very popular. Farmers should, 

 however, study conditions very carefully and adopt a variety and strain 

 best suited to their soil and climatic conditions. 



Soils 



The best wheat soil is a clay loam with a clay subsoil, although it does 

 well in any fertile soil where the standing water line is not too near the 

 surface. 



The Requirements 



for wheat are a rich soil and deep, thoroughly pulverized seed-bed, 

 containing a reasonable amount of moisture and free atmospheric 

 oxygen. 



Germination 



Three things are necessary to promote germination, namely, moisture, 

 warmth and oxygen. If any one of these features is absent, germination 

 will stop. The period required to germinate depends upon these condi- 

 tions. Wheat will not germinate below forty-one degrees Fahrenheit, 

 nor above one hundred and four degrees. At the minimum tempera- 

 ture, it requires from six to seven days, and at ten degrees higher the 

 time is shortened to three or four days. Germination is most rapid 

 when the soil is at a temperature between eighty and eighty-five 

 degrees. During the process of germination, wheat requires water. A 

 grain will absorb during the period about six times its own weight. 



Loss in Weight During Germination 



One authority states that a grain loses about 1.5 per cent of its own 

 weight during germination in twenty-four hours, 6.7 per cent in ninety 

 hours, and 11.8 per cent in one hundred and forty-four hours. From 

 the above, it is plain that wheat loses very materially if it sprouts either 

 in the shock, stack or bin. Deterioration on account of chemical 

 changes is also very material. 



Roots 



Wheat roots are very abundant and very long. They penetrate the 

 ground from a few inches to five or six feet. Roots have been traced to 

 a depth of seven feet. The development depends wholly upon the con- 

 dition of the soil. It is stated that if the roots of one plant are placed 

 end to end, that they will reach a distance of from fifteen hundred to 

 seventeen hundred feet. 



Stooling 



Wheat stools are side shoots, the number varying from five to fifty. 



