The Mena weekly star., 1910-03-03
IMPORTANCE OF sEED
A. E. Wear Writes On This and Farm
 ing in General.

To the Editor of the Star:
 Dear Sir:-If you will give me space in your paper l will again speak to the farmers of Polk county ia the interest of better farming.
 First l wish to say that am making the round of the county just as fast as can. l have been hlndered some by bad weather and have had some sickness in my family, but have already GOV cred large portion of the county and have enlisted many of our best farmers as demonstrators, but still want many more. As 1t is impossible for use to visit every farmer aud solicit his cooperation personally, 1 agaln say that If any farmer will write me at Board Camp and let me know where he IS and that he wishes to become demonstrator l will, come to see you and help you with any i1for- nation you need.
 The three things most neces- sary in growing good crops upon any land IS: First, thorough preparation of the soil before planting; second, good seed; third; more intensive cultivation. |. The best preparation of the land must be begun by deep breaking in the fall, so that the action of the frost aud air may release the plant food locked up in the soil and make 1t available for feeding plants. The growing of profitable crop upon any land does not depend so much upon the plant food contained iu the land as upon the amount that IS avail able, or in such condition that the plant can use 1t. A chemical analysis will often show as much of the elements of plant food in a hard, dry clod as in the same amount of loose mellow soil, yet no plant can use that in the clod because it is not in condition that the roots of the plant can gather it and build it up into vegetable tissue. The more thoroughly y the soil is pulverized, and the oft ener the surface of it IS stirred before planting, the more food there will be available for the young plant and the sooner it will become warm enough for planting, to say nothing of the greater ease with which the crop can be cultivated. Weather con- ditions were such last fall that there was but little blowing done so that now we can do no better than make the spring break ng as thorough as possible. Usually it is not best to blow land in the spring to greater depth than it has been plowed before.
 No matter how rich the land or how thorough the preparation and cultivation the best crops can not be grown from poor seed. The inevitable law Of nature, that like produces like" holds good in the vegetable as we'll as in the animal kingdom. It is the poorest economy in the world to plant inferior seed because good seed costs more, for the cost of the seed, especially corn or cotton, IS one of the smallest items of ex- pense in making crop. The preparation and cultivation cost just as much with poor seed as with the best while the extra cost ot good ssed over FOOT is but lew cents per acre, while the dif- ference in yield may bemany dol- lars. Ordinary gin cotton seed is worth 30 cents per bushel, while we'll selected improved seed Of any of the leading varieties of cotton can be bought for Sl.50, freight charges included. A bushel of seed will plant two acres, so the good seed will cost but 0 cents an acre more than