THE WHEAT CULTUEIST. 



147 



sider, and that should control his decisions in regard to 

 what crops to raise, is, that wheat has a good many ene- 

 mies and adverse circumstances to overcome, to gener- 

 ally produce good crops ; and these can only be over- 

 come and guarded against by a good strong growth in the 

 fall ; and that the principal part of our wheat lands are 

 not in a condition to give wheat such a start when sown 

 after spring crops, though a good summer fallow, or a 

 clean one, or two-year old clover lea, would give a 

 heavy crop. And though it may seem like lost time to 

 keep land in an unproductive state, while making a 

 summer fallow, yet there are many reasons why a heavy 

 crop on a summer fallow is better and more profitable 

 than a light crop, or partial failures, after spring crops. 

 Prominent among these is the fact that, in sowing after 

 spring crops, the land has to be prepared twice in the 

 same season, seed found for both the spring and fall 

 crops, and the ground harvested over twice, while both 

 crops may not be as valuable as one heavy crop of wheat, 

 that may be grown on a summer fallow in the same 

 time. Another advantage is, that a summer fallow 

 gives a good chance to clean land that is foul. There are 

 many pests to grain crops, like wire grass {Poa com- 

 pressa) quack grass {Triticum rej)ens)^ and Canada 

 thistles {Cirsium ar verose)^ that seem to grow all the 

 better for the cultivation usually given when wheat is 

 sown after spring crops ; but which the thorough culti- 

 vation in making a good summer fallow, in the usually 

 hot and dry months of July and August, will be very 

 likely to subdue — at least to a sufficient extent to pre- 

 vent their injuring the succeeding crop of wheat." If 

 land is at all disposed to be wet, summer fallowing will 

 not improve its productiveness. 



