The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-04-07
FIELD AND GARDEN CROPS.
THE CONDITIONS WHICH ARE NECESSARY
FOR THE TERMINATION OF SEED.

L
The Preparation of Cotton Land-.Th'
Planting Of the Seed--The Way tt
Secure the Best Results--E1clpins
Out the Corn Crib.
More seeds are planted in April than any
other month in the year. We speak for TN
cotton StateS-in these. the weather at tina
time being generally warm enough to PERM
the planting of all summer crops, both OF f1nlt
A pril is dry month; the rainfall is smal
and the winds of March have dried Of tht
soil, SO that it is sometimes difficult to gci
prompt and perfect germination Of seeds. 4
good stand, and with some crops an early
stand, is exceedingly imrortant; let us dwell
therefore, for while, on the germinatton o. o.
seeds the necessary conditions thereof, hnd
1hr means of promoting it, There are tnrei
fundamental requisites, moisture. heat AND
air. Every seed contains q miniature plant
and connected with it a. varirble amount OF
matter intended as food for the young plant
uurin. It's first stages OF growth. This food
matter constitutes, ordinarily, the main bui!i
of the seed. TO be utilized by the young pam
it must become movable, SO as to be carried as
needed to growing points. In dry seed TINS
cannot occur. The matter In 1T Is solid, ana
we may add, insolubie. The first requisite
lherefofe. is that the SEED ABSORB water, WniCn
st does wien planted, in amounts varying
from one fourth to its entire weight. The w:l-
ter can now dissolve and carry in o the young
plant the food matter. or whatever of the lat
Ter is soluble in it. Most of this matter. how
ever is wholly inSOlublc in water, consisting
as it docs, in large part. of starch, oil, etc. but
one of the very first things which occurs IN IN
yorlninntion is the formation of what may be
termed II ferment, substance called dlatasc,
which can change these 1nsoiublc substances
ieto such us arc soluble and therefore aValla-
Ole to the young plant. =,
Mere absorption of water cannot of itself
however start gcrniilstion. Burya grain OF
corn or cotte4a seed in wet earth in mid-wln-
ter; it Will absorb water freely, but instead OF
terminating VIII rot. Heat. therefore, is nee
osSary also. II stimulates the vital activity.
soto Speak-eEactiy how, we do not know.
But heat alone cannot bring ABOUT gefmtns,
at tenn ,anerssturc OF ninety-tivc degrees with
Ont sprouting. Heat and moisture must work
together TO bring il about.
But these alone are not sufficient. Air, or
oxygen, the active ingredient of air, is also
necessary. This Is eSscnt;a, to the general Ion
OF the "fermen," alluded to above, by Whlca,
the in soluble things are madeSoiuhle. a SEED
supplied with moisture and the requisite neat
will BOT gelnlinate in 2 racEum.
Now, let us Consider how in practice VIC may
control these conditions and make thfn CO
operate best to the securing OF good STANDS;
First, rs to moisture. AS stated before, Apfil
is generally q dry month, anc the soil. cspccl-
ally near the surface. IS often loo dry 10 pllns
up seeds, when planted shallow. as most o1
7ilem req ,lire to he. TO obviate this, very
light harrowings subsequent to each compact
ing rain should be given. lMcsS one can
,lant land immediately after It's final prepar-
:ltion, and before it has time to dry OF, 1t IS
hest to o., epare it long enough in ADVANCE OF
p!anEing to lie; a rainfall settle II nttle.
Seeds can get moisture better in somewhat
compactcd sol! than in very loose one lhsht
harr0Win.S after rains ca9Sc Il thln layer Oh
puiveriZed soil at the surface to dry on nut re-
tains the mois'ore III the part below where the
seed will be deposited. IN such case it SIS bet
ter also to open the dr.ll quite shallow, so as
to di<turb the compact, moist earth beneath
us little us possible. Moisture cannot rise up
from below through Il loose, pIlverlIed soil, us
READILY as it clu through one moderately COM
pact. Again, Il seed cannot absorb moisture
from the sold unless ia absolute contact with
it. 70 insure perfect contact 1t should DC
resscd into the soil Such pressure not onlS
insures better contact, but by solidi1yinS the
loose earth under the seed enables moisture to
lise us from below to the seed Seed planters
which congresses the dirt in the drill. This
is wup. bat one ought to follow behind tue
droplrer 10 press the seed into the cartn. IN
planting corn by hand the droppcr can step
anon each hill as dropped. For Snali seed in
garden a light wheel ia be gearcu up AMI run
Gy hand to firm the seed into the soil. When
this is done a light covering OF earth Wlti ~, De
sufficient to insure gcrmination. In planting
with hoe z little dirt may be drawn over the
seed and packed with the back OF the hoe,
oS,nd then Il little loose earth dram over II.
Nothing has been said about the Importance
OF deep breaking and thorough pulNcrlZalon
of the soil as means TO the absorption or Z
barge supply OF water, Or OF Keeping the iand
fi2icd with humus TO increase its microscopic
power, or ability 10 hold water during drought.
These of course arc matters OF the very hrSt
importance. Every one knows no" muc'i
easier it is to secure q good Stand on frCSll iand
still rich in humus than on Old worn soils Ge-
void of vcgctab.c mater.
The second rcQuiSit" TO scrminatlon is heat.
T]se seeds OF a few plants germnatc at very
low temperatures, just above the freezing
point Of water, but tnosa of most cultivated
plants will not grow readily much under ffty
degrees OF course reference here is made 10
the temperature Of the soil ut q depth OF TWO
0r three inches, the ordinary depth ut which
iarger seeds are planted. During summer
there is always ample heat. hut in the spring
it is otherwiSe-it is often difficult to START 4
crop early and well on account of the GOODNESS
of the soil. Can a l.rmer do anvihiEg towards
overcoming this difficulty? Yes; there are
several things he can do. First. he can plant
crops tnat otichL 10 be started carly, on south
ern slopes. The SUMS rays strike these more
nearly at riohtangleS than they do those i'll
ciined TO other points OF the compass, ana the
nearer the approximation to right angie ihe
greater is their heating power. The heating
cover of the sun in spring in our latltude is
greatest on Slopes of fifteen to twenty degrees
He can select for the same purpose also SOILS
which are naturally wurnlcst, either from tex
ture, color or drainage. \ gravclly soil re-
1airs heat lOngcr than fine sandy one; q
dark soil warns up more readily th"n a ilSn1
one and Il dry more rapidly than Il wet. he
can increase the darkness of the soil by keep.
ing up the supply OF humuS, ana, in some
cases, can make it d:ier by proper drainage
by strips of forest for old field pinrsjudicious.
~ preserved he can protect his fields from
cold winds. By avoiding proximity to streams
OF water he can often escape injury from laf
spring fimsts- Foresight. judgment and care
can do a good deat even in the apparently un
controlable matter of temperatures. Another
and very Important point in the early spring
is to plant seed us shallow as possible: 1ht
sol! Is then cold toa considerable depth. anu
is beginning TO warm up from the heat OF tlt
sun This heating begins at the surface and
travels downward. The nearer the surface
then, seed is the more 1t feels the heat OF lht
SUM- Never cover seeds therefore, III the ear
ly spring any deeper than is required to secure
the necessary moisture for termination
Aside from the matter of heat, there is a Ger
tain depth, beyond which, il seeds are plant
cd, even If they come up, they produce weak
grea: a depth as the largest and strongest
Seeds will bear well; the rule is the smaller
the seed the Shaiower it should be planted
the smallest germ mating best when Simply
pressed into the soil
The air necessary for gcrminatiOn is secured
by shallow planting and by GOVERN! Wl'f
loose earth, which the air can easily penetrate
When the soil is ronracted by heavy rain, OF
when it is natural close and WaXy, like thf
clays. air is very largely excluded. The same
is true 0: soils filled with water; the water
drives aHt and excludes The air. y know
how difficult it is to get seeds up under sucl
circumstances. The nearer The surface secc
is the more likely is the air toreach it. Nhcl
n crust is formed Il light narrowing VIII nul
veriZe it and allow the air to penetrate. The
harrow should occupy very prominent place
in the snrinn On bcudeu land, one horse cir
pull two single harrowS, anil two hands ano
one horse can run over sixteen TO twenty
acres a day. If IL rain interveneS between the
plantino and the coming UP of Il crop by al
means run the harrow over 1T. NO. only tht
crust will be broken and seeds come up better