158 THE BUSINESS OF FAEMING 



Plant the grain or seed too deep, a new and un- 

 natural joint must be formed at the surface (for 

 it is never formed under the surface) from which 

 the brace roots begin to grow. So corn planted 

 at a greater depth than one and one-half inches 

 must readjust its plant so as to meet this depth of 

 planting and form the unnatural joint for its brace 

 roots and in so doing, its growth receives a check 

 that affects it and its life. 



Seeds must be planted as nature intended they 

 should be. The small alfalfa seed sown at too 

 great a depth cannot germinate, and yet if given 

 the light or no covering, may encounter conditions 

 that prevent its growth. So the reader can read- 

 ily see the necessity of mixing brains with seeds, 

 seed selection, and even seed planting. We must 

 know the characteristic of each and every seed 

 we use in the business of farming, and learn how 

 to plant them to bring the greatest success. And 

 in this study we will see the importance of prop- 

 erly preparing the seed bed so that the right soil 

 covering can be given seeds. If you could but sit, 

 down and figure out the loss that occurs each year( 

 from the improper planting of clover seed you cer- 

 tainly would strive to figure out in your individual 

 case the method of proper sowing so as to avoid 

 your loss at least. Yet farmers go on and on fol- 

 lowing the old methods of sowing clover seed that 

 have been in vogue for years without any appar- 

 ent reason for so doing other than that father did 

 it that way. 



To aid and protect the business of farming in 

 seed selection there ought to be a national law 



