necessary to them as it is to animate creatures. Micro-organisms are 

 assisted in their work by the chemical action of elements forming and 

 transforming new compounds, by gases and water and organic sub- 

 stances. 



The seed-bed is made deep by deep plowing; it is made sanitary by 

 tiling, trenching and tillage. Its physical and mechanical condition is 

 always in keeping with the amount of tillage it receives. 



Why a Roomy Seed-Bed 



1. Some water and the available plant food is stored in the seed-bed ; 

 hence, it is very plain that a deep seed-bed would contain more than a 

 shallow one just as we would expect to find more nourishment in a thick 

 slice of bread than in a thin one. 



2. A deep, roomy seed-bed affords freedom to plant roots. Roots 

 are not unlike leaves and branches. They require room and freedom 

 if the development is rapid and perfect. Roots seek the course of least 

 resistance, and their natural course is downward, just as the natural 

 course of branches is upward. If the seed-bed is shallow, when the 

 first delicate roots reach the bottom of the furrow, which is usually 

 compact and sometimes very hard, they spread out, not being able to 

 penetrate the hard substance, and in the event of a drouth, the shallow 

 bed dries out and the plant suffers. If, however, it is deep, the roots 

 will have strength and stability to penetrate the more compact subsoils 

 where they can secure water and some plant food. 



3. A deep seed-bed, if properly pulverized, acts as a reservoir to hold 

 water until it can percolate into the deeper soils and necessarily a 



Showing Cracks in the Land Through Which Moisture Escapes 



Showing How Effectively a Surface Mulch Prevents the Escape of Moisture 



