The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1914-12-25
PREPARING SEED BED
Get Rid Of Numerous Air Spaces
by Firmlng Soil.
Effective Work Should BE Done just
AFTER Flowing, Using Either sub
surfaes Packer or Disk Set
straight and Weighted.


Two general methods Of preparing
the seed bed on dry land are In
vogue-ono BY blowing, the other by
disking. We occasionally hnd other
methods, such as listing, but not com
monty. Far more often We hnd a seed
bed with absolutely no preparation
at all and this II surely not good
farming where deep ullago IL 80 ea-
sentiAl. Ia preparing the seed bed
with the pillow we must consider the
depth and the time TO pillow. The
depth OF blowing depends on the type
Of soil, the previous tiilage, the crop
to be grown, the time the blowing Is
done. the amount OF water In the soil
and the prevailing climatic conditions.
When done shortly before seeding, es-
pecially in our dry regions, the plow-
Ing should be shallow. unless the fur.
row slice 10 sufficiently moist TO per
NIT OF packing and plenty Of help Is
available to pack the mrrow slice.
From observations during two ex-
uremely dry years would say that
crops are lost from a loose,
poorly prepared seed bed than from
lack Of cultivation. II is abso.
lutely essential In dry land that the
SEED bed be Arm. A loose seed bed
dries out unless opportune rams ksGp
II moist. II g dries the crop suffers.
and the younger the crop and the
deeper the loose seed bed extends the
greater the extent of injury. When.
ever the soil Is plowed, numerous air
Epaces are found In the furrow slice,
where clods. weeds or litter are
turned under. writes w. w. Burr in
Denver Field and Farm. We must
get rid OF these air spaces by lrming
the soil, for otherwise the movement
Of air through these larger open
spaces will very rapidly dry out the
soil.
Aside from the larger open spaces
the soil PARTICLES falling from the pillow
are not set close together. They have
comparatively few points OF contact.
Thus the movement OF water from
n to the other is slow while the
passage OF the air through tile soil is
much greater than when the soil has
been irmed and as a consequence the
ground dries out more quickly. This
is OF vital Importance. II any crop 10
sown on a seed bed prepared only by
the pillow and harrow, there may be
sufficient water in the upper part of
the soil-where the particles have
brought quite closely together
by harrowing-to terminate the seed.
But the harrow stirs only two or
three inches OF soil. As soon as the
crop has used the moisture in these
few inches II will suffer unless oppor.
tune rains come TO supply Il with
water until its roots can get through
the loose layer below. II light rains
keep the upper few inches moist, the
roots will probably tend TO stay near
er the surface rather than push
the loose soil. The time 10
nrm the urrow slice is Just after the
IL done. II the surface IL al
lowed to dry out II cannot be packed.
II there IL SUFFICIENT moisture TO pillow
we'll there will be enough to pack.
The hrmiag may be done with either
q subsurface packer or a disk set
STIR 3ht and weighted. This frming
the soil to get rid OF air spaces and
bring the particles In closer contact
Is more essential az soils that have a
tendency TO become loose and ashy
and In regions OF scant rainfall. Heav
soils settle more readily than IN,
lighter once. In regions Of greater
rainfall. the rain falling upon IN,
surface beats the particles
more closely together and washes the
particles down into the open
spaces and the soil may not need me
chanical dFminR