Southern field crops (exclusive of forage plants) . ffords the largest yield, since it pro-vides a longer time for the plant to develop a strong rootsystem, to tiller or thicken more completely, and to collectplant-food. However, extremely early sowing is inad-visable, even in regions where the Hessian fly is notpresent, since this causes the plants to enter the bootstage — that is, to form stems—before all freezing weatheris past. In this stage plants of all of the small grainsare especially liable to injury by a degree of cold thatwould not prove harmful to plants that had not begunto form s
Southern field crops (exclusive of forage plants) . ffords the largest yield, since it pro-vides a longer time for the plant to develop a strong rootsystem, to tiller or thicken more completely, and to collectplant-food. However, extremely early sowing is inad-visable, even in regions where the Hessian fly is notpresent, since this causes the plants to enter the bootstage — that is, to form stems—before all freezing weatheris past. In this stage plants of all of the small grainsare especially liable to injury by a degree of cold thatwould not prove harmful to plants that had not begunto form stems. The poorer the land the more urgent the need for a ratherearly date of sowing, so that the early sowing may encour-age tillering, which is not favored by poor soil. For the central part of the cotton-belt, the first half 54 SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS of November may be regarded as a generallj^ satisfactorydate for so^^ing wheat. 55. Drilling versus broadcast sowing. — Exioeriments inthe principal wheat-growing states show a larger yield from. Fig. 20. — Double-disk Drill. drilling wheat by the use of a grain drill (Fig. 20), so-wingthe seed in rows, 6, 7, or 8 inches apart, than from sowingbroadcast. The advantages of drilling are the following : —? (1) Usually a somewhat larger yield. (2) Planting at a more uniform depth and hence greateruniformity in the ripening of the plants. (3) Shghtly increased protection from winter-killingthrough heaving, that is, the lifting of the young plantsabove the surface bj- the expansion of the moistin-e in thesoil when it freezes; the plants growing in the slight de-pression left by the drill are in the position where there is WHEAT 55 least tendency for the soil and the plant to be pressedupward. (4) A saving of 1 to 2 peeks of seed wheat per acre whenthe seed is drilled. The increased jaeld from drilling at the Kentuckj ExperimentStation averaged 4 bushels per acre. The slight ridges left by the grain driU are ad^-antageou
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