HARVESTING WHEAT 153 



injured by this practice, which no doubt accounts for its 

 being so uncommon. Drilled wheat only should be harrowed 

 and the harrow should be run in the direction of the drill 

 rows and not across them. 



HARVESTING AND THRASHING 



192. Harvesting. With the exception of a comparatively 

 small acreage in the Pacific states, wheat is harvested as 

 soon as it is ripe. This is done to avoid loss by crinkling and 

 shattering and from storms. Grain is usually cut with 

 binders and handled in the bundle. In a few places headers 

 are used; that is, machines that simply cut off the heads of the 

 wheat, and in that case the grain is handled loose. In the 

 Pacific states, where there is usually no rain for several weeks 

 during the harvesting season, the grain is allowed to become 

 thoroughly ripe and dry, and then it is harvested with a com- 

 bined header and thrashing machine, or " combine," (Fig. 51). 

 Such machines can not be used throughout the main wheat 

 sections of the United States, owing to unfavorable weather. 



193. Shocking Wheat. One of the qualities desired in 

 good milling wheat is a bright color. If wheat is exposed 

 to rain and dew after it is ripe, it loses this desirable bright- 

 ness. On this account it is the usual practice to shock wheat 

 as soon as it is cut, and to cap the shocks so that a large 

 portion of the heads will be protected from the weather and 

 thus retain the bright color of the kernels. 



There are two types of shocks well adapted to the pro- 

 tection of wheat. One is known as the nine-bundle round 

 shock. It is made by setting up one pair of bundles, then 

 setting up a second pair so that they lean against opposite 

 sides of the first two bundles. This will make a four-bundle 

 shock, one bundle at each corner. The next four bundles are 

 set against the first four, just filling in the open spaces 



