VOL,. LXVIII
INDIANAPOLIS, AUG. 2, 1913
NO. 31
Preparing for Next Year's Wheat Crop
Wheat growing in Indiana Is getting
to be an important topic of discussion.
The success of this year's crop will encourage the growers to take great
pains in preparing for next year's crop,
for wheat, like a number of other
crops, is successful in direct proportion
to the preparation that is made for the
sowing of the seed. High grade seed
is also an essential in successful wheat
production, but   the   follow-       	
ing paragraphs deal only
with the preparation of the
se«,l bed.
If wheat is to follow corn,
oats or wheat, the preparation of the ground should
begin as quickly as possible
now. If wheat is to be seeded in corn, the last two cultivations given should be
such as to keep down weeds
and grass and keep the
ground loose and moist. To
this end a hard crust should
not   bo  i>ILe»ad   to   fcsl.TQn .   The
best approved methods of
corn cultivation are nearly the ideal directions for
preparing a fine seed bed for
wheat and those farmers
who practice approved methods in corn culture are
fortunate when wheat seeding time arrives. Deep plowing early in the spring, followed by two deep cultivations, then gradually decreasing the depth of cultivation until late in the summer, when the aim is to
maintain a dust mulch on
the surface are the best
methods known for preparing wheat ground. The dust
mulch conserves moisture, it
keeps down the weeds and it
makes a mellow seed bed on
the surface. The change from the
deep cultivation to the shallow insures
a compact subsoil, which is highly desirable; and when late cultivations are
practiced they are sure to maintain a
large amount of moisture. Unless the
corn crop is further advanced than
most that we have seen ln Central Indiana, a cultivation can be given with
profit in July after each rain. This
will keep the soil in excellent tilth for
seeding time. For these late cultivations one horse and a fine tooth cultivator may be employed; the cultivator should be extended wide enough to
cover the row at one passage. Care
must always be taken, however, not to
dig too deep or to get too close to the
corn in these light cultivations, especially if the ground is dry and crusted.
Early  and  Thorough  Preparation  Desired.
If wheat is to follow oats or wheat,
the earlier the ground is plowed the
better condition it will be in at seeding
time. Indeed, to secure large yields,
much depends upon the time of breaking the ground. For one thing, the
ground not having been plowed for
some time, if allowed to dry out thoroughly after the season's crop has been
How to Make the Seed Bed That Pays
removed the operation of plowing will
be very difficult. Then the soil, when
broken early, contains more moisture;
the clods are more easily pulverized;
and a soil mulch'which will retain the
moisture already in the    ground    and
The successful wheat grower must
give the plants every possible assistance. Next to proper drainage this
assistance consists largely in having a
fine, firm seed bed, well supplied with
available    plant    food.     In    order  to
1
Whether manure is to go on before
or after plowing must be determined
by the condition of the manure, whether fine or coarse, and by tho method of
distribution necessary, whether it is*to
be spread by hand or with a spreader.
If the manure be fine, top dressing will
give good results both on wheat and
clover. What manure has collected
about the farm  during the summer is
 ,     generally fine enough to  be
spread over the plowed surface.        If  the   manure   be
coarse, however,   it is difficult to spread it evenly over
the     surface      and     finely
enough  so  it  will  not  clog
the harrow or drill.    If applied    with     the    spreader,
there la the disadvantage of
exceedingly  heavy  draft  on
Csrvo    plowed ground    which
generally forbids the use of
the   spreader.     If   the manure  is  not  too  coarse and
the ground is to  be broken
early,   it   will   often   pay  to
distribute the    manure    before plowing commences ,as
it  will  rot  sufficiently    before seeding time.    Harm is
done,  however,    when    late
plowing    is    necessary,
the    turning    under of
coarse    manure,  since
manure    will    prevent
prompt   re-establishment
the capillary action.
Madison Co.        W. F. P.
by
any
the
the
of
Wheat field of C. B. Quigg, Montgomery County, showing effects of fertilization.
the right was unfertilized, that on the left received a good application.
Wheat on
gather all moisture that falls, is also
easily maintained. The early plowing
also insures the re-establishment of the
capillary connection with the subsoil;
and by the time the wheat is sown the
water connections have again been
made and the capillary water will be
drawn up as needed by the young
wheat plants.
The Essentials of a Good Seed Bed.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to
break the ground as early as the flrst
of August, breaking eight or nine inches deep. The soil should be worked
down well as fast as plowed, the spike
tooth harrow and a heavy roller being
used each day, thus keeping the ground
worked up to the plows and in that
way not allowing any moisture to escape that could otherwise be saved.
The roller tends to compact the seed
bed and the harrow makes a loose surface mulch. After harrowing, let the
ground lay until about the middle of
September, then ro)' and harrow until
the seed bed is very flne. Some successful wheat growers think it desirable to disc the ground before rolling
and harrowing the last time, as the
discing assists ln making the finest
seed bed possible.
make clear the importance of having
a flne seed bed, it may be said that the
wheat plant has very delicate fibrous
roots which are not adapted to a loose
seed bed of open soil full of air chambers, hence the plant demands a finely
pulverized seed bed where its delicate
rootlets can come at once into very
close contact with the soil particles. It
should be remembered also that the
wheat crop can have no help in the
way of cultivation after it is once sown,
although some growers do harrow
their wheat in the spring. Even so, it
can readily be seen that thorough preparation of the ground before the seed
ls sown is very essential, and this thorough preparation is best accomplished
by the early plowing and working of
the ground. It has been conclusively
proved in several instances that early
plowing of the soil and early preparation of the seed bed insure a higher
yield.
When late plowing is necessary lt is
best to plow shallower than when the
ground is broken early. Since the
wheat plant demands a firm seed bed
with a mellow surface for Its best
■growth, late plowing late in the season is not desirable for the reason that
the seed bed will be too loose,
METHODS     OF      SOWING
WHEAT  YEAKS  AGO.
It is not many weeks now
until the time for sowing
wheat. The time was when
the soil was fresh and  full
      of   vegetable   matter,    that
the wheat crop could be
sown very early in the fall, and upon
any kind of a surface, roughly plowed or
harrowed in, and generally there was a
splendid crop of grain. But little attention was paid to the kind or quality of the grain sown, it was sown
broadcast and there was but little danger from freezing out during the winter or spring, and not many insect enemies to injure the crop.
It was generally believed that the
rougher and cloddier the ground at
sowing time, the better it was for the
crop to go through the winter in good
shape. By the alternate freezing and
thawing-the rough clods gradually mellowed down, feeding the plants, and
keeping the roots well covered. The
natural conditions of the soil met all
the demands of the wheat crop, and it
flourished.
Methods Change With New Conditions.
As the years passed, conditions
changed from various causes. The soil
became depleted of much of its
strength, the original vegetable matter
became exhausted, insect enemies became dangerous, and the preparation
of the ground and putting in of the
crop had to be changed to meet the
Continued on page 4.