84 Progressive Agriculture 



form, therefore, the additional suckers or stools 

 as shown in the other end of Cut No. 10. These 

 suckers will keep increasing until the surface of 

 all the foliage originating from the one stool 

 is sufficient to take care of all moisture by direct 

 evaporation that is taken in by the rootlets. 



Cut No. 11 shows not only the ideal seed and 

 root bed with its liberally stooled plant, but the 

 less favorable or coarse seed and root bed under 

 which condition germination and root growth is 

 very slow. Not only is it slow but the little feeders 

 along the outside of the roots in coarser, looser soils 

 are far less in number. Plants under similar con- 

 ditions will stool very little if any, because the 

 two or three leaves can utilize or assimilate all 

 the few rootlets can gather in. Now as you vary 

 from the fine perfect seed bed shown on one side 

 to the coarse, imperfect condition on the other 

 or from the coarse to the fine you change the 

 growing and stooling tendency of the plant. 



INFLUENCE OF IDEAL CONDITIONS 



In addition to the physical condition of the 

 soil and the soil water, is the available plant food. 

 Each one of the three have their respective in- 

 fluence upon the stooling and growth of the small 

 grain plant. First, is the carefully prepared seed 

 bed with the loose mulch, then comes the accumu- 

 lation of the proper per cent of moisture and as 

 the soil becomes warm the bacterial or chemical 

 action then sets in which develops the fertility. 

 Where well directed spring or^ summer tilling has 

 been carried on as experience indicates and our 



