574 Transactions of the American Institute. 



tlie Hessian fly is veiy apt to make his lodgment in early sown wheat. 

 If the sowing is deferred until the frosts may be expected to destroy 

 the fly before the jslants are sufliciently grown for it to take posses- 

 sion, and the land is in high condition, we nsually avoid the fly and 

 secure suflicient fall growth by sowing about the 20th of September. 

 TJie objection to large growth in the fall is the liability of having the 

 wheat smothered under deep snows, that sometimes remain on the 

 ground for three months or more. Unless the ground is frozen hard 

 before the snow falls, heavy drifts will winter-kill wheat that has a 

 large top. 



Harvesting Wheat. 



Much has been said in fevor of cutting wheat early, while hardly 

 out of the milk. This is bad advice for many reasons. Tiie farmer 

 gets less wheat than he does if he delays cutting until the berry is 

 too liard to flatten under the pressure of the Angers. The time 

 required to cure unripe wheat is so great, that there is great danger 

 of rains wetting it more than once before it is ready to be put 

 into the barn. Less hibor will be required to harvest and secure 

 a crop of wheat by allowing it to stand as long as possible with- 

 out having the grain waste by shelling in the handling. Far- 

 mers that raise large crops will necessarily cut some of it as early as 

 it will do, and then perhaps not be done with harvest before some- 

 thing will be lost by shelling. That part of the crop that is just 

 ripe enough to be drawn the same day it is cut, will go into the barn 

 with the least cost. 



It is curious to see flirmers, living side by side, adopt entirely dif- 

 ferent practices as regards the conduct of a harvest. One wnll go on 

 and cut his whole crop before he draws any to the barn, then draw it 

 all in at one job if he can. His neighbor will secure his crop in the 

 barn as fast as it is fit to be housed. He will stop cutting, if neces- 

 sary, to do this, preferring that his grain should be wet by showers 

 while standing than in the bundle. Wheat in the sheaf, once fairly 

 drenched with rain, requires three days of good weather to fit it for 

 the barn. The danger of wheat sprouting is always to be kept in 

 mind, and though in very good weather a crop of wheat will be best 

 harvested by cutting the whole crop, and then securing it, it is safer 

 to adopt the plan of drawing as fast as ready. Our own unvarying 

 rule is, secure the crop at the earliest moment. 



