SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 15, 



very unevenly distributed throughout the year, and 

 it will be extremely difficult to secure sufficient help 

 to harvest the crop and get the brush properly cured. 



Preparation of the Seedbed. The plowing and 

 the preparation of the soil for broom-corn should 

 be practically the same as for corn. Winter or very 

 early spring plowing is advisable in order that the 

 land may retain the moisture derived from the early 

 spring rains, and that the soil may be worked down 

 thoroughly in order to sprout and destroy the weed 

 seeds that are in the surface soil. This is quite es- 

 sential because of the fact that the broom-corn plant 

 makes very slow growth for several weeks after it 

 comes through the soil, and unless the weed seeds 

 have been sprouted and destroyed a great deal of 

 extra labor will be necessary to keep the weeds 

 down until the plants are large enough to permit 

 of effective cultivation. 



The seedbed should be worked down to a fine,, 

 mellow condition by the liberal use of the disk har- 

 row, the roller and the smoothing harrow. Stalks,, 

 coarse manure or other trash should be removed or 

 cut into small pieces with the disk and worked into 

 the soil, since their presence at the surface will in- 

 terfere seriously with the early cultivation of the 

 plants. The fine, mellow seedbed is necessary in 

 order to secure a uniform stand of plants, and to 

 insure a prompt and early destruction of weeds. 



