210 



SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



Conclusion. — State which of the two samples you 

 consider better from the standpoint of uniformity and 

 give reasons for your opinion. In the same way, state 

 which one you believe to be better as regards freedom from 

 foreign matter, soundness, weight per bushel and hardness, 

 giving reasons for your decision in each case. In view of 

 all the answers you have given, which one do you regard 



as the better of the two 

 samples of wheat? 

 State reasons for your 

 answer fully. 



Now weigh equal 

 amounts by measure 

 of each sample, using, 

 for instance, a baking 

 powder can, level full, 

 and see if their rela- 

 tive weights are about as you have judged them to be. 

 Write in your notebook the reason or reasons why each 

 of the five points named is regarded as important in judg- 

 ing seed wheat. 



Fig. 90. — Drilling in wheat. 



143. Planting the Seed. — The grain drill has come 

 largely to take the place of the old broadcast method, and 

 on the whole has given much better results. 



The time of sowing depends upon the climate, the soil, 

 and, in case of winter wheat, upon the prevalence of an 

 insect known as the Hessian fly. The farther south we 

 go, the later the sowing may be done for winter wheat. 

 In the region of the fortieth parallel, the date of sowing 

 it is about the middle of September. Farther north, 

 where spring wheat is raised, the seeding is done from the 

 latter part of April until the latter part of May, depending 

 upon the latitude or the season. Fall or winter wheat 



