46 ESSAYS ON" WHEAT 



depth of from one to three inches, the depth varying with 

 the soil's moisture contents, the land is generally firmed 

 down by using a packer and then harrowed to create a 

 mulch to lessen the evaporation of moisture. 



The seedlings appear above the ground in from four to 

 ten days after seeding, the period before emergence vary- 

 ing with conditions of moisture and temperature. In 

 some places, the land is again harrowed after the plants 

 have appeared above the ground, the purpose of this sec- 

 ond harrowing being either to kill the small weeds that 

 may appear at this time or to replace the mulch which may 

 have been destroyed by rains. 



The crop usually heads out during the first half of July 

 and ripens between the tenth of August and the twentieth 

 of September. 



The crop is harvested slightly before it has attained per- 

 fect maturity by means of self-binders. These machines 

 are hauled either by teams of four or six horses, or a num- 

 ber of them may be drawn by a tractor. Each binder cuts 

 a width of from six to eight feet and, at the same time, ties 

 the grain into bundles or sheaves. The sheaves measure 

 from ten to twelve inches in diameter and, as soon as they 

 have been tied, are thrown to the ground. They are then 

 placed in stooks or shocks by men who follow the binders 

 as closely as possible. The purpose of stocking is three- 

 fold: (1) to assist the drying or curing of the sheaves, 

 (2) to lessen the danger to the grain of serious injury from 

 weathering, and (3) to facilitate the further filling of the 

 grains in the heads. 



The grain is separated from the straw by means of large 

 threshing machines driven by tractors and having a capac- 

 ity of from 500 to 2,000 bushels per day. In the past, the 

 straw on the large wheat farms has been considered to be a 

 useless by-product, and the great straw piles which dot the 



