WHEAT 57 
‘‘earefully cured. In this way it is used with great 
satisfaction in many parts of the country. 
Preparation of soil, and seeding 
The land should be as thoroughly well prepared 
as in seeding for the grain crop. Land should be 
well cultivated, thoroughly firmed and the surface 
two or three inches made very fine, so as to 
provide conditions favorable for quick germination 
and the easy penetration of the fine rootlets. 
When yard or stable manure is available, it is 
good practice to apply it broadcast on the surface 
at the rate of six to eight tons per acre, and thor- 
oughly incorporate it with the surface soil. This 
may be reinforced by the application of 100 to 150 
pounds per acre of dissolved bone; or, when the 
land is reasonably well supplied with nitrogen, the 
same quantity of acid phosphate may be used per 
acre. It is essential that an abundance of available 
phosphoric acid should be at the disposal of the 
plant in the early stages of growth. In the absence 
of home manures, an application of a fertilizer 
reasonably rich in nitrogen and phosphoric acid 
should be applied, as the principles indicated for 
rye hold true also in the case of wheat: that is, the 
plant, having an abundance of available food in the 
fall, will absorb it, and that which is not converted 
into plant substance will be retained, in part at 
