22 DRY-LAND GRAINS IN THE GREAT BASIN. 



There will usually bo no great difierence in the cost of the two 

 methods of Aveed eradication. The second-plowing method is 

 slower, but it ordinarily avoids the necessity of such frequent har- 

 rowing or of disking and harrowing. In considering the advisability 

 of using one method or the other, the farmer must study his own con- 

 ditions and determine which method is most likely to meet them. 

 In the whole matter of weed eradication on fallow soil it is important 

 that the necessity of doing the work at the right time, of preventing 

 the weeds and volunteer grain from producing seed, and of avoiding 

 very deep cultivation be kept in mind. 



SEED-BED PREPARATION. 



If the best methods of soil moisture conservation and of keeping 

 down weeds and volunteer grain are followed during the spring and 

 summer months, the seed bed will usually be found to be in excel- 

 lent condition at planting time. The seed bed should be firm and 

 uniform, with the soil under the mulch sufficiently moist to furnish 

 the young plants the necessary water. In liglit and sandy soils the 

 mulch at planting time is freciuently found to be very light and to 

 lack the necessary firmness. This condition can be readily remedied 

 by the use of a wooden leveler or smoother just before the grain is 

 planted. Clay soils almost invariably settle sufficiently, of their 

 own weight, to make the use of the smoother unnecessary. The im- 

 portance of a good seed bed can scarcely be exaggerated. If the 

 grain is planted in soil that is ragged and lacking in uniformity, a 

 poor and irregular stand is sure to be the result, and all the work that 

 can subsequently be done on the land can not correct this condition. 

 On the other hand, if the seed bed is properly prepared the wheat 

 crop will survive severe conditions to an extent that is impossible 

 on a poorly prepared seed bed. The proper preparation of the soil 

 before planting time is very frequently the determining factor in 

 obtaining a profitable crop. 



SEED AND SEED TREATMENT. 



PURE SEED. 



The profits of dry-land grain production are much increased by 

 using only pure seed, and a great many failures are due to the use 

 of inferior varieties or impure seed. If the seed planted is of more 

 than one variety, losses are likeh' to follow on account of irregularity 

 in the time of ripening, which results in the shattering of large quan- 

 tities of the early-maturing grain. Furthermore, mixed grain is 

 never a's likely to command top prices as grain of one variety. The 

 inadvisability of planting grain containing weed seeds is too well 

 known to recpiire extensive discussion. In selecting seed grain the 



[Cir. 61] 



