14 HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 
planted, it is a better practice to fall-plow the 
land, and disc it the following spring, rather 
than to disc it in the fall. 
In sowing wheat, it has been found that a 
drill gives much better satisfaction than sow¬ 
ing it broadcast. When a drill is used, the 
seeds are covered, and the wheat is planted 
at a uniform depth, which is not possible with 
a broadcast seeder. It is not advisable to plant 
the wheat very deep in the soil, but just deep 
enough to allow the wheat to secure sufficient 
moisture for germination. If planted, too deep, 
the wheat seedlings will experience difficulty 
in forcing their way up to the surface of the 
soil. 
Wheat, like the other small grains, is not a 
cultivated crop, and is sown in rows very close 
together. Consequently, after the crop has been 
put into the ground, nothing much can be done 
to encourage its growth. Occasionally, wheat 
that has been drilled is harrowed after it is 
up, to give the weeds a final combing, but 
this should always be done in the same direc¬ 
tion of the drilled rows, and never crosswise 
of the rows. 
In most sections of the country, wheat is 
harvested with grain bidders, which are horse- 
drawn implements that cut the plant close to 
the ground, and then tie them up into bundles 
that can be easily handled for curing and 
threshing purposes. In a few sections of the 
country, a machine called the header is used, 
whereby just the tops of the plants are har¬ 
vested, but the more common method is by 
means of the grain binder, already mentioned. 
