338 



More Wheat. 



[JULY^ 



shallow cultivation has produced on these soils, but to go down 

 to a depth of lo in. or more runs the risk of bringing up 

 too much infertile subsoil, and the deepening of the tilth 

 should be done more slowly. On most of this land, if it is not 

 baked too hard, any kind of tractor can be used for breaking up. 



Other Land. — The third class is any farmer's land, and does 

 not require such special care in its cultivation. None the 

 less a better wheat crop will result if the land is broken 

 up early, in time to take a half fallow, than if it is 

 held back for autumn cultivation and later sowing of wheat. 

 On the lighter sands the success of the wheat crop depends 

 upon manuring. Five cwt. of basic slag must be sown, 

 together with 3 or 4 cwt. of potash manure, and a spring 

 dressing of sulphate of ammonia, or, better still, of nitrate of 

 soda, must follow. The extra expense of manuring on this 

 land is made up for by the cheapness of cultivation. Early 

 sowing is again essential, because it is necessary to establish 

 the wheat with a deep root system before the droughts set 

 in in the spring. Such land, because of its early ripening 

 powers, will grow spring wheat, but success depends upon 

 luck in the matter of weather, and very often spring-sown 

 crops will fail because the absence of rain in the early part 

 of the year does not enable the plant to establish a root system 

 which will render the crop independent of the droughts that are 

 sure to affect the surface later. On this class of land, again, 

 rolling, in order to consoHdate the soil and make the most 

 of the lower moistm'e, is all-important. 



Cost of Wheat Crowing. — The cost of production is so entirely 

 determined by local conditions, the equipment of the farmer, 

 and the weather experienced in the particular season, that any 

 estimate based upon averages is of little service to the 

 individual, particularly as the returns both as to yield and price 

 are equally matters of speculation. 



Of late years, however, on second-class land wheat has 

 generally proved to be the most paying crop upon the farm, 

 and having regard to the considerations urged above as to the 

 prospective shortage of supply all the world Qver it can hardly 

 fail to be a profitable speculation for some years to come, 

 even at present costs of labour. 



On second-class land the farmer must exercise greater 

 care and adopt the precautions which have been indicated 

 in order to secure a reasonable yield. Moreover, whether it 

 is for wheat or any other crops, the farmer has got to consider 

 in every possible way how the costs can be reduced by the 



