FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 477 



have produced seed , plow again , plant rape in drills , and give thorough culti- 

 vation. There are few weeds that will survive «uch treatment, and the land 

 will have given profitable returns in forage in the meantime." 



Some have drilled rape, while others have sown it broadcast. We are 

 of the opinion the that the latter method is preferable, unless the soil is 

 poor and apt to be dry. In this case cultivation will undoubtedly increase 

 its growth. When there is enough moisture and good soil to foster vigorous 

 growth there will be little need of cultivation to keep down weeds or to 

 stimulate further growth. In such a case sow the rape and it will take care 

 of itself , and as an exterminator of weeds as a ''smother crop" we think 

 that it will fully meet the needs of the most sanguine. 



THE PROPER SEED BED. 



Wallaces' Farmer. 



We have had a good deal to say in past years about the preparation of 

 the seed bed for growing crops. In this article we will deal particularly 

 with the seed bed for corn. 



There are some things which all well prepared seed beds have in com- 

 mon. Unlike animals, plants can't move from place to place. Their 

 growth and the measure of the yield must be determined by conditions 

 purely local. They can get no plant food from the soil except that within 

 reach of their roots, and the soil must be in such condition that there can be 

 as full, complete, and perfect root development as possible. This develop- 

 ment of the root system measures to a great extent the use they can make of 

 the plant food which they receive from the air, from which they receive, in 

 fact, their greatest portion. The amount of carbon dioxide plants take in 

 from the air depends upon the leaf surface. This depends on the amount 

 of plant food they can get, always in a liquid form, from the soil; and the 

 amount they get from the soil depends on the number of hair roots they can 

 develop on the main roots, which are simply the conduits for carrying the 

 soil solution into the plants. Again, all plants require an immense amount 

 of water — oats about five hundred pounds for every pound of dry matter; 

 corn about two hundred and seventy-five; clover, wheat, and barley a little 

 over four hundred. All this requires a well prepared seed bed so that the 

 roots may multiply. 



Another fact that must not be overlooked is that the demands of the 

 plants for water are greatest at a time when the rainfall is likely to be short. 

 The corn plant, for example, gets from three-fourths to four-fifths of its dry 

 matter between the time it begins to tassel and its full maturity, and this 

 tasseling is in the driest period of the year. Water, not being generally ob- 

 tainable in sufficient amounts from above, must be obtained from the soil 

 below, and therefore the seed must be such as will put no restraint upon 

 capillary action, but will allow the water in the subsoil to come up freely, as 

 required. 



