THE WHEAT CULTUEIST. 



191 



with more or less earth near the surface of the ground. 

 This system of management usually insures a fair 

 crop of wheat. But, on certain kinds of soil, the prep- 

 aration is not as it should be for a crop of winter grain. 

 Where the surface soil is thin — where there is only a 

 thin stratum of vegetable mould, special care should be 

 exercised to keep the mould at the surface, and not 

 turn it all seven or eight inches beneath a cold and un- 

 fertile subsoil. I have observed, that some farmers 

 have failed entirely to produce a fair crop of wheat 

 after peas, because they did not observe this precaution, 

 to keep their best soil at the surface. There was only 

 a thin stratum of mould resting on a heavy, calcareous 

 clay, which was turned up to the surface ; while all the 

 manure and fertile mould .were buried beyond the imme- 

 diate reach of the young plants. 



The ground, in such localities, should always be 

 ploughed shallow ; and the seed-bed should be deepened 

 by a regular subsoil plough, or with such an one as I 

 have illustrated on page 162. The best soil should be 

 kept near the surface ; and the fine manure should be 

 covered as lightly as practicable, for the reason which 

 has been assigned in the former part of this chapter. 

 (Eead also the remarks under the Habit of the Wheat 

 Plant ; and How Freezing and Thawing Injures Grow- 

 ing Wheat, on page 126.) 



As a crop of early peas will mature in a short period 

 of time ; as the vines grow rapidly, and thus get the 

 start of weeds ; and as the crop takes up only a small 

 quantity of the wheat-producing material in the soil, 

 this crop can be raised with more profit than a crop of 

 oats, barley, or Indian corn, in some instances. A crop 

 of growing peas, when there is not an excess of moist- 



