PART I 



CULTURE 



CHAPTER II 



PREPARING THE SEED BED 



Iron-clad rules cannot be laid down for preparing a seed 

 bed for corn. The methods suggested in this chapter have 

 been found practical on our own farms and have been tested 

 out from two to ten years. Our soil is a black level silt 

 loam, with a deep, porous subsoil that makes a natural drain- 

 age for surface water. A heavier soil would need more rolling, 

 and a lighter one would need less; so the farmer who would 

 benefit from reading this chapter should compare each opera- 

 tion carefully with his own practice and not make a change 

 until he has satisfied himself it is adapted to his local con- 

 ditions. 



There is a great diversity of opinion among farmers as 

 to the best method of preparing a seed bed. There is not 

 this difference of opinion as to what constitutes a good seed 

 bed. The best farmers agree that an ideal seed bed, to be in 

 good physical condition when the time comes to plant corn, 

 must be aerated and not run together. The soil particles 

 must be fine and free from lumps or clods. A maximum 

 amount of moisture is conserved in the subsoil by having 

 a shallow dust mulch on the surface. A large number of 

 weed seeds have been sprouted and all that show on the 

 surface have been killed immediately before planting. "We 



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