The Soil for Winter Wheat 
Preparing the Seed Bed 
T^ROFTT OF INCREASED YIELD.—Fndor aver- 
age conditions it requires roughly 15 bushels of 
wheat per acre to pay the cost of production. With 
a yield of 20 bushels per acre we have five bushels 
for profit, and with 25 bushels per acre we have 10 
bushels or twice as much profit per acre. Land 
then which produces the larger yield is worth just 
twice as much p(>r acre .so far as its use for wheat 
growing is concerned. So land which pro<luces 45 
bushels of wheat is a very profitable investment 
provided the increased yield is not secured at a 
very great expense. Of course it requires a little 
more expense to care for the large yield but no 
pointing. We have obtained 20 bushels on early 
plowed land, and in the center of the field on a 
patch finished breaking just before .seeding, not 
enough to be Avorth cutting. We have seen a neigh¬ 
bor on freshly plowed clover sod, obtain just about 
a third normal crop. Freshly plowed land cannot 
be made fine and firm enough to give a maximum 
yield. The looser the soil the more essential it is 
to begin Avork early. Oat stubble should be broken 
at once after the oats are removed. We have ob¬ 
tained very good results by .sowing Avheat between 
the corn rows. This Ava.v aa'c m.ay consider that our 
Avheat land is broken early and tilled all Summer, 
I)ut a corn crop is produceci in the meantime as 
extra profit from the one preparation. The Avheat 
yield is not so great after corn but neither has 
But rather than buy nitrogen Ave should groAV 
legumes, Avhich ai'e profitable in themselves aside 
from the fact that the.v enable us to use the nitro¬ 
gen of the air. Air Aveighs 15 pounds per square 
inch and about three-fourths of it is nitrogen. Over 
an acre there are millions of ton.s, and at 20 cents 
per pound, the commercial price (more since the 
Avar) for the 40 to 50 pounds per ton added when 
clover and Alfalfa respectively are ploAved into the 
soil, a yield of four tons of legume per acre rcpre- 
.sents a neat little sum for the Aalue of the nitro¬ 
gen obtained from the air Avithout expense. The 
legume crop fed, as it usually should be, on a stock 
farm means even greater profit, because part of 
the nitrogen is added to the soil in the manure, and 
we have obtained a food value also. Nitrate fer- 
A Vermont Alfalfa Field, with 3,000-pound Load Cut on Three-eights of an Acre, Fig. 415 
more tilling or machinery. But the secret of large 
AA'heat yields does not lie in the OAvnership of high 
priced land. On $.20 to $00 land aa'c have produced 
and observed others producing both the large and 
the small yields. On $.20 per acre clay fields Ave 
liaA'e groAvn 30 bushels per acre. We must l)uy sojiie 
commercial fertilizer, and Ave are somewhat de¬ 
pendent upon the sea.son, Aveather and insects, but 
very much lies in our own hands. 
PREI‘ARING THE SEED BED.— The first essen¬ 
tial is a properly prepared seed bed. For Avheat 
this means a firm and compact soil, f'lay soil Avhen 
it has drainage is Avonderfully Avell adapted for 
the proof of the A'alue of tillage to the Avheat crop. 
We AA'ant our wheat land plOAAcd just as early in 
the .season as possible in order that rains may pack 
It. Then frequent tillage during the Summer, at 
least enough to j)revent Aveeds from groAving, is 
essential. Land Avhich is freshly plowed and sowed 
to wheat on the loose soil is nearly ahvays disap- 
it cost so much Avhen the profits of both Avheat and 
corn are taken. 
SEEDING AND FERTILIZER.—The next e.s.sen- 
tial after, the seedbed is good .seed soAvn at the 
proper time and with the proper fertilizer. But no 
amount of good seed or fertilizer Avill make up for 
the lack of a firm compact seed bed. Seed, how¬ 
ever, should be clean, plump and sound, of a reliable 
variety. The time of soAving depends upon condi¬ 
tions. Early soAvn Avheat has a chance to make a 
vigorous growth to Avithstand a rigorous Winter. 
Late .soAving, especially if after a frost, is less like¬ 
ly to be affected by the fly. Late soAving should be 
thicker in order to get a sufficient groAvth. as it 
Avill have little time to stool before cold sets in. 
Fertilizer too will help to stimulate the late Avheat 
to sutficient growth to combat adver.se conditions. 
The kind of fertilizer depends on the soil. Clays 
usually need phosphoru.s, muck needs potash, sand 
needs both and all clays and sands need nitrogen. 
tilizers for grain crop.s cannot be bought profitably 
because they are too expensive. 
PURCHASING PHOSPHORUS.-When it comes 
to the use of phosphorus we are compelled to buy 
it. Acid phosphate, bone meal, and raw rock are the 
common forms used. RaAV rock is cheaper consider¬ 
ing the amount of phosphorus secured, but the re- 
.sults are not satisfactory unless organic matter is 
supplied the soil at the same time. Acid phosphate 
contains phosphorus in a quickly available form 
and is a A^ery satisfactory form to use. Bone meal 
also giA'es good results. Lime is likely to be needed 
too, especially for the benefit of the legume Avhich 
is to supply the nitrogen. With the fertilizers, the 
good seed and the tine and firm seed bed we have 
done AA'hat Ave can to secure maximum and profitable 
yields. 
CONSIDERING RETURNS.—But big yields do 
not of necessity mean profit. We ma.v put so much 
expense into securing the yieid that 40 bushels per 
