Preparation of Seed-Bed and Planting 113 



TIME OF SEEDING 



The date of planting seed varies with the region and 

 with the season. In the Mississippi Valley and the East, 

 the time of planting is between April 1. and June 1. In 

 Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, it is two 

 or three weeks earlier. Adams 1 gives the time for plant- 

 ing in California as follows : 



Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys January 15 to March 15 



Southern California October 1 to April 1 



Central Coast Counties February 1 to June 1 



In most regions the season of planting is late March, 

 April, and early May. Seeding time should not be de- 

 termined by the calendar, but by soil and weather con- 

 ditions. The soil should be warm and moist and the 

 period 9f severe frosts should be past. 



Early seeding has many advantages and some draw- 

 backs. If the seed is planted early and for any reason 

 the stand is poor, there is still time to re-seed. There is 

 also the advantage that the young plant can use the early 

 spring moisture to germinate and get up before hot weather 

 causes a crust to form. If seeding is done too early, there 

 is danger of the seed remaining in the cold soil so long 

 that it rots before there is sufficient heat to germinate. 



In some localities the time of planting is determined 

 by seasonal winds which dry the land and cause it to 

 crust or in other ways injure the newly planted seed or 

 the seedling. Dates of planting must be chosen so that 

 the seedlings will not be at a critical stage during the 

 season when regular unfavorable winds occur. 



1 Adams, R. L., Calif. Exp. Sta., Cir. No. 160. 1917. 

 i 



