264 



SEEDING AND PLANTING 



higher than the margin. On loam and clay soils the 4-foot bed 

 should be, as a rule, from 1^ to 3 inches higher in the middle than 

 at either side. A well-rounded bed permits of more perfect drain- 

 age. On porous soils where water does not stand even after pro- 

 longed rains, the beds should not be raised appreciably above the 

 paths or made higher in the middle. Wherever irrigation by 



flooding is practiced the 



beds should be flat and 

 depressed below the 

 paths. 



3. Rolling the Seed- 

 beds. After the beds 

 have been brought to 

 the desired contour, it is 

 usually advisable to roll 

 them preliminary to seed- 

 ing, as it firms the surface 

 soil and makes it more 

 retentive of moisture. 

 When the beds are 6 feet 

 or less in width, the roller 

 is usually of the same 

 width as the beds (Fig. 

 53). When the surface 

 of the bed is flat the 

 ordinary garden roller is 

 used. When the surface 

 of the bed is rounded the 

 roller must be of a form 

 suitable to give the de- 

 sired contour. The re- 

 volving roll is usually 

 turned from a piece of 



FIG. 53. Types of rollers used in forming 



seedbeds. 

 4. Roller for forming flat beds. 



B. Roller for forming beds with a curved 

 surface. 



C. Roller for forming flat beds sown in 

 strips. 



hard wood of the same 

 length as the width of the bed. It is 12 inches in diameter at the 

 ends and from 9 to 6 inches in the center, depending upon the 

 contour of the beds. 



A third type of roller is used when the seed is sown in strips 

 lengthwise of the bed and not uniformly over the surface. The 

 revolving roll is also turned from a piece of hard wood of the same 



