LESSON X 



THE SEED BED 



Making the seed bed. After the land has been 

 plowed, the next tillage operations are carried on to 

 form the seed bed, which is the prepared soil in which 

 the seeds are planted. 



Much of the success of any farmer depends on his 

 ability to make a seed bed suitable to the kind of crop 

 he wishes to produce. Usually the first thing to do 

 after plowing is to harrow the soil ; and this harrowing 

 should be done at the time the plowing is done, or at 

 least the same day. There are many kinds of harrows ; 



all of them are imple- 

 ments to scratch and 

 break up the soil into 

 fine particles. 



Roller and harrow. 

 If a stiff sod has been 

 turned over with the 

 plow, and the weather 

 is dry, a heavy roller 



may be run over the land to flatten the furrow slices, 

 and pack them down so that the plants turned under 

 will keep moist and decay more readily. If the top 

 soil is dry, a roller is often used to pack the soil 

 particles closer together so that the film water from 



4 6 



ROLLER 



