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Show BaaaaaaBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal .BBMaaBBBaaaaaaaaBBa PREPARING FOR WHEAT Much Depends on Method to Be Used and on Season. Under Irrigation Plowing Should Pref. erably Be IJone In Fall, Followed by Disk and Harrow to Conserve Con-serve Moisture. The best preparation of land tor wheat depends upon whether spring wheat or winter wheat is to be grown and whether 'Dry Farming" or irrigation, irriga-tion, says the Colorado Farmer. Something Some-thing will also depend upon season and the forwardness of the work. For Spring Wheat. Under irrigation irriga-tion the plowing should preferably be done in the fall, except on lands subject sub-ject to plowing. Following the plow should come the disk and harrow. This treatment may look unnecessary, i but the better soil and soil moisture conditions resulting from such treatment treat-ment pay. The soil so treated is compact com-pact and moist below and loose at the surface, while the soil left as the plow turns it over is more often dry and fluffy as deep as the furrow slice. In the first instance there is moisture enough present to start the crop and usually keep it growing some time. In the second place, the seed must be irrigated up or lie and wait for a favorable rain. Fall plowing may be deeper, if properly managed, , than spring plowing. Deep plowing followed follow-ed by proper treatment gives higher yields. Deep plowing to be most successful suc-cessful must be done sometime before planting in order to allow some weathering. weath-ering. Plowing which for any reason, is done immediately before planting should be shallow, not over five inches. Under this condition, it will give higher high-er yields than deep plowing. The land need not be plowed following follow-ing such crops as sugar beets or potatoes. pota-toes. In this case, the land is best disked and harrowed after the crop is harvested, as the harvesting process pro-cess works the soil deeply. The only further spring treatment needed will be disking, harrowing and leveling. Spring wheat should be planted early. Winter Wheat Under Irrigation. Greater yields are produced the earlier earl-ier the plowing. The essential difference differ-ence in preparing the seed bed for winter from that of spring wheat, is that plowing for winter wheat, especially espe-cially if it follows another grain, must be early. . If plowing for winter wheat, which is to be planted after grain or alfalfa, can be done in July or early in August so much the better. , Both winte.r and spring wheat do best on a well compacted seed bed. This is due to the fact that heavy lands are better natural wheat lands than sandy ones. There is, also, an advantage in having a well compacted, well fined furrow slice. A soil in such condition presents a much better feeding feed-ing area for crop roots. The small or feeding roots are neither bothered by clods or open air spaces, thus they may come in intimate contact with the soil particles, the most favorable conditions for crop feeding and growth. |