The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-22
AGRICULTURAL.
Preparation of Seed Beds.


 There are several requests for detailed instructions for the preparation of the soil for the reception of seed. am greatly pleased at seeing such an interest being taken in this matter, for 1t is the ..l important subject, the very foundation upon which all our agricultural success depends.
 Much has been said about new and improved seed and what wonderful re- suits farmers might get by introducing new seed. In fact, so much has been said on this subject that many farmers have been misled and take seed for soil. Of course it is the business of the fel- lows who have these seed to sell them, and if they can only succeed in making farmers believe that their seed will pro duce such wonderful crops as they claim they will do so. The soil and soil prep aration is no part of their trade or busi- ness. Now I do not want to be under stood as opposing the frequent changing of seed or the use of the very best seed that. can be secured for this is of the greatest importance. But 1 want to. call the readers attention. to the importance of soil preparation, which should pre- cede the purchase or use of good seed. FdfnerS SnOulu Tedu anu SluuJ uillii they understand these things so wSl that they will not be mised by many foolish ideas that find their way to them through the press.
 A case of this kind I have in mind that occurred last spring. One Sunday morn ing l bought the morning papers, the Nashville American, Atlanta Constitu tion, Birmingham Herald and Mem phis Commercial Appeal. l was sur prlsed to find that all these papers ex- cept the Age-Herald had taken up nearly a whole page In telling what certain man in one of our great western states had accomplished; how he had added millions to the value of the corn crop in his state by introducing new seed among the farmers. The whole thing was ~sisleading, and the press, being anxious to help the farmers In every way possible, no doubt were easily ln- duced to give this matter publicity Why such an article should have been written at all and how 1t managed to get into so many of our leading papers on the same morning has been mystery to me. was perfectly acquainted with the whole matter and 1t is question Wnetn- CT or not this man has been worth cent to the corn growers Of his state, and besides I know the farmers referred to quite well and venture to say that there are at least one thousand farmers In this state that know more about corn growing than does the man who got aH this free advertising
 Farmers, let me give you little good advise. Read and think for yourselves. What our farmers need among oener things is an education that will enable them to read between the lines. for It IS often that there Is something Of 1mpor- tance to you to be found there. NOW this subject of preparing seed peds TOT grains, and seeds is one upon whlch have spent much time. in giving tnor- ough course of instructions through these papers for several years. yet 1t IS a SUD feet of such vast importance that too much cannot be said, and there is no dan ger of exhausting the subject. 1T the farmers were only able to control our rainfall we would have at once the prop lem of soil fertility and the maintainanee of soil fertility solved. But we lar,heis are creatures of circumstances ana nave more to contend with than any other class of people, and since we nave no control of the weather but are at the mercy of it, we are 10 gredt eA,ee , forced to conduct our farm operdtiohs according to our conditions ana as pese we can under existing circumstances- oo that if would be almost impossible TOT me or for any other man to tell farmer how to nrepare his soil best for any line of crops. unless we could know all the conditions. But we can give sei,eioi se outline and the reader can ada to tnese his own knowledge and experience. men our great torrential rains come pouring down upon our fields. they ruin our plans as well as carry away large amount o1 o,,r hard labor. and wash out and carry away lots of plant food that has cost us money to put into the soil. All the improvement of soil and the plant iooa that we have been a year putting on our fields may all be washed out Tn one hlght of heavy rains. After we nave prepareo our soils and. have given 1t the necessary auount of plant food to produce the crop wanted if we were then only able to t,,rn the fawcet and let on just a suf- ficient amount of water to make enough of the plant food available to meet the requirements of the plants. in few days when the soil has again become too dry to give out any plant food turn the fawcet again and keep repeating this un- iii the crops were made. under such system of farming as this we could very eheaply produce all the crops needed and at the same time be loosng nothing in the way of plant foods from the soil, except what was needed In producing the crop and this could be cheaply re- stored.
 But since we cannot have things just as we want them, we have to get right down and meet the conditions that con- front us 1 would always prefer dry, rather than wet season. This Is so for several reasons. In a dry season I can protect the soil and hold the plant food in It; and if we will prepare our soils In the fall and winter as we should by fertilizing and subsoiling, we can gather and store enough moisture so that if the after cultivation is kept up by frequent shallow stirring. keeping a dust mulch conserving moisture and preventing per collation., we can produce fine crops. ihis would be another system of fine iarh- ing if we were only able to adopt It. but we have not disposed of the heavy rains yet and never will so we had just as well prescribe for our present conditions. In the consideration of soil preparation the question of how far the farmer Is able 10 use improved farm implements to assist him in this work will have much to do Tn determining how well he will be able to perform this work. Science has done much for us until we now have improved farm in implements that enable us to handle almost any and all soils. Yet in many sections of the south and southwest we have numbers of rough hillsides that arc not likely to get any kind of blows and harrow that will work such soils to any advantage, so the best use Q which some lands can be put is to get them set to clovers and grasses and put on stock. Put on dairy cows.
 Pleasing Experience.
 Let me relateA "a pleasing experience