The Ozark spectator., 1917-03-07
GOOD SEED BED
 VERY IMPORTANT
Qrouad For Good Seed Bed Must Be Firm and pulver rxed
 On Top.
By ". C. Lassetter, Acting Director or
 the Extension Division.

Loose ground does not constitute good seed bed. Hard ground is not . good seed bed. A seed bed ft 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 pulverixed on top.
 The importance of thorough prepa' ration for planting has been urged and discussed from time immemor'al' yet few people seam to understand the true meaning of good seed bed. I have seen people preparing land Tor alfalfa, which requires thorough pre- paration of good seed bed and these men have gone ahead on the assump- tisn that the ground must be well broken. pulverized on top, and the seed sown immediately. This pro vides . loose seed bed. and If ram Is not forthcoming in a short time. these same men wonder why they did not get a stand They have follow cd a wrong principle-that of provid- ing B loose seed bed rather than firm seed bed we'll pulvelized on top
 Yoslnx seedlings cannot secure sat isfaotory growth on hard, impenetra- bie soil When land has been subject ed to the packing ocoasioned by heavy rains, such as we have ln all parts of Arkansas in the course of tho 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 eesary If roots are to grow down be tween them likewise there is lii, tie room for storage of moisture. ard 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 snal- Ter crop
 We oftentimes hear the remark that grasses and clovers must not be so~n on loose soil. but that they must he 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 remeded by frequent narrowing. so that at the time of planting you have seed bed firm, not hard. with the top well pulverized.
 This principle can very we'll 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 1 cotton planted in a loose bed will not grow as well as cotton that is planted in ground that has been prepared sui ficiently far in advance for 'he soil to be well firmed at the time of seed ing. Cotton planted on hard ridge cannot be expected to stand the drovth. nor to make the satisfactory growth to be obtained by cotton planted on land properly prepared. as explained above.
 Ia many sections it has become com mon in preparing land for cotton 10 throw up a thin layer of loose earth on hard ridges. harrow this loose soil down and plant This leaves a 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 a 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 he, break the land from three to six weeks ahead of planting time, keep the surface narrowed until planting time. and be- fore planting pulverize the surface SO that fl will be free from oiods and free from crust This will give firm seed bed, we'll 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 l9 per cent to sS per cent germi- nation Cotton seed seldom shows higher than from 7S to S5 per cent ger1nination, but if planted it should not show less than 70 per cent No man wants to plant seed that will not come up The only way to find out in advance is to test. A simple tester consisting of two plates and an old towel, or other ab sorbent cloth, is sufficient for any