Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-03-10
GOOD SEED BED
 VERY IMPORTANT
Ground For Good Seed Bed Must Be
 Firm and Pulverized On Top.
By W. c. Lassetter, Acting Director of
 the Extension Division.

Loose ground does not constitute a good seed bed. Hard ground Is not . good seed bed. A seed bed fit for planting of any class of farm seeds, from the grasses, clovers and alfalfa to seeds of larger type, such as grains, corn and cotton, must be firm-not loose and not hard-and pulverized on top.
 The importance of thorough prepa. yNtion for planting has been urged and discussed from time immemorial, yet few people seem to understand the true meaning of good seed bed. I have seen people preparing land for alfAlfa, which requires thorough pre- paration of a good seed bed, and these men have gone ahead on the assump- ton that the ground must be well broken, pulverized on top, and the seed sown immediately. This pro vides a loose seed bed, and if rain is not Forthcoming in a short time. these same men wonder why they did not get a stand. They have follow ed . wrong pr1nciple-that of provid- ing . loose seed bed rather than a firm seed bed, we'll pulverized on top.
 Young seedlings cannot secure sat iseactory growth on hard, impenetra- hle soil. When land has beep subject cd to the packing occasioned by heavy rains, such as we have in all parts of Arkansas in the course Of the year, the soil particles are packed closer and closer together until the soil becomes practically impenetrable and there is little room for movement of these particles which is nee essary if roots are to grow down be- tween them; likewise there is llt- tie room for storage of moisture, and therefore the young crop suffers from lack of root development and lack of moisture. A hard seed bed is very undesirable, and will result in small Ter crop.
 We oftentimes hear the remark that
 
 grasses and clovers must not be sown on loose soil, but that they must be sown on soil without preparation. This Is an erroneous idea, but 1t has arisen on the basis of good sound principle, in that no grass and clover crop will do well if seeded on loose soil. The truth of this suggestion lies in the fact that the ground should be broken from four to six weeks ahead of time for planting the grasses and clovers in order that the soil may have time to settle down and become firm. In a period of that duration the soil will not have time to become packed and hard except on the surface, and this is remedied by frequent narrowing. 60 that at the time of planting you have a seed bed firm, not hard, with the top we'll pulverized.
 This principle can very well be ap. piled to all agricultural crops. The remark is commonly heard that young cotton will not grow until the tap root strikes hard ground. While the Idea as expressed is erroneous, there Is an element, of truth in the fact that cotton planted in loose bed will not STOW as we'll as cotton that Is planted In ground that has been prepared sui ncdently far in advance for the soil to be well firmed at the time of seed ing. Cotton planted on a hard ridge cannot be expected to stand the drouth, nor to make the satisfactory growth to be : obtained by cotton planted on land properly prepared, as explained above
 : In many sections it has become com mon in preparing land for cotton to throw up thin layer of loose earth on hard ridges. harrow this loose soil down and plant. This leaves hard ridge underneath, covered by thin layer of rather fine soil. This does not constitute good preparation, be cause this is hard seed bed rather than firm seed bed.
 The whole scope of proper prepara- ton for the planting of agricultural crops can be summed up as follows: Whatever the crop may be, break the land from three to six weeks ahead of planting time. keep the surface narrowed until planting time, and be. fore planting pulvsrize the surface so that it will be free from clods and free from crust. This will give firm seed bed, well pulverized, and that means a good seed bed.
 Test Cotton Seed Before Planting.
 Just any kind of cotton seed will not do. In the springs of 1914-15 the Arkansas Experiment Station tested cotton seed from more than 70 sources each season. These seeds were taken from lots of seed that were intended to be used for planting. Careful ger imitation tests showed variation of from 19 per cent to 9S per cent germi- nation. Cotton seed seldom shows