148 FIELD CROPS 



is seeded on disked corn or stubble land. The better practice, 

 however, is to plow the land. To fit newly-plowed land for 

 winter wheat seeding, it is necessary to harrow the soil at 

 once very thoroughly, to pack down the lower part of the fur- 

 row slice so that it will not dry out. The object of this 

 harrowing is to retain sufficient moisture in the furrow slice 

 for germination, which is not done if the soil is left loose and 

 lumpy. It is also desirable to harrow and disk the plowing 

 sufficiently to pack the lower part of the furrow slice so that 

 the moisture in the subsoil may be brought by capillarity to 

 the surface, where the grain is planted and the roots begin 

 their growth. 



If spring wheat is to be sown and the land is fall-plowed, 

 it is not desirable to harrow it during the fall. If the soil is 

 left rough, it is acted on more fully by the elements, is in 

 better condition to take up the moisture that falls, holds 

 snow better, and is more easily prepared in the spring than 

 if it is harrowed smooth in the fall. In the semiarid regions 

 where the soil must be thoroughly cultivated one season and 

 enough moisture stored in it to grow a crop the following 

 year, the plan just given would not be advisable, for it is 

 necessary to harrow after every rain in order to retain the 

 moisture which falls. 



To prepare fall-plowed land for wheat in the spring, thor- 

 ough disking and harrowing are necessary. Spring-plowed 

 land is prepared for spring wheat in the same manner as fall- 

 plowed land for winter wheat. 



186. Preparing Seed for Planting. Wheat grown in the 

 vicinity, graded to maximum weight and quality, and free 

 from foul seed, has been shown by numerous experiments to 

 be the best that is possible to obtain for the main crop. On 

 many farms, a great many weed seeds and seeds of grain of 

 inferior quality are sown with the seed wheat. It is not rea- 



