The Dermott news., 1917-03-08
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

rom the grasses, ClCNefS anu alIdlld to seeds of larger type, such as grains. corn and cotton. must be trm-not loose and not hard-and pulverized on top
 The importance of thorough prepa' ration for planting has been urged and discussed from time immemorlal, vet few people seem 10 understand the true meaning of good seed be':. 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 short time. these same men wonder why they did not get a stand They have follow ed wrong principle-that of provid- ing loose seed bed rather than firm seed bed. well pulverized on top
 Young seedlings cannot secure sat isfactory growth on hard, tmpenetra ble soil When land has been subject cd 10 the packing occasioned by heavy rains such as We have in dlt parts of Arkansas in the course of the year. the soil particles are packed closer and closer together until tn" soil becomes practically impenetrable and there is little room for movement of these particles which Is nee essary if roots are 10 grow down be- tween them: likewise there is lit 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 q smal, Ter crop.
 We oftentimes hear the remark tha. 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 il has arisen on the basis of eeod sound principle. in tkat no grass and clover crop will do well if seeded on loose soil The tluGt pl lIllS SNEE''SR itI ilttN Ill Aat' fact that the ground should be broken from four to six weeks ahead of time for planting the grasses and cloyers 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 remedled 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 well be ap piled 10 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 grow as we'll as cotton that Is planted in ground that has been prepared suf ticiently far in advance for the soil to be we'll Armed al the time of seed Ing Cotton planted on hard ridge cannot be expected 10 stand the drou,h. nor to make the satisfactory growth to be obtained by cotton planted on land properly prepared, as explained above.
 In many sections il has become com mon in preparing land for cotton 10 throw mp thin layer of loose earth on hard ridges. harrow this loose soil down and plant. This leaves n hard ridge underneath. covered by thin layer of rather fine soil. This does not constitute good preparation. be cause this Is a 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 be. 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 it will be free from clods and free from crust This will give firm seed bed. we'll pulverixed. 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 l9i4-l5 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 psr cent to 9S per cent germi, nation. Cotton seed seldom shows higher than from T5 to S5 per cent germination. but if planted it should not show less than 10 per cent, No man wants to plant seed that will not come up. The only way tn 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 farrrer 10 test his cotton seed. Test yo,G cotton seed. Consult your eoun-