﻿18 BULLETIN 16, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



flower debris shaken out. After all the flowers of the crow-foot are 

 opened and the seed pods begin to swell, the bag may be removed 

 if desired, but it will be necessary to keep all other flower branches 

 and buds constantly picked off. 



In harvesting, only the fully matured and ripe pods should be 

 saved. Such as are underripe should be picked off and discarded. 

 After they have been shelled out, the lighter, imperfect seeds should 

 be got rid of by some simple winnowing device, for the same reason 

 that wheat or other seed are cleaned of inferior grains before sowing. 

 A satisfactory separation of the seeds can be made also by settling 

 them in a glass of water. After half or two-thirds of the seeds have 

 sunk to the bottom, at the expiration, probably, of two or three 

 hours, the floating seeds may be skimmed off and the heavy seeds 

 that have settled can be dried on blotting paper. 



PREPARATION AND CARE OF THE SEED BED. 



It is the almost universal custom throughout the entire flue-cured 

 district to prepare the seed bed on freshly cleared land, either in the 

 woods or in some other suitable location. The reason for this is that 

 there is an abundance of humus in such land. It is not compacted 

 and baked by heavy rains and the sun, and the plants grow faster on 

 fresh land than on old land. 



The particular spot of land chosen should be loamy and mellow and 

 naturally moist, but having good drainage and free from standing 

 water at all times. It is desirable usually to locate the bed near a 

 stream of water. At such places the land is apt to be naturally moist, 

 and in the event of an extreme drought the bed can be more readily 

 watered artificially. 



An exposure to the south or east will give the earliest plants, 

 although it is best to have at least two beds, one a little later than 

 the other. The spot chosen should also be as free from weeds or 

 grass as possible, and generally, as further insurance against a weedy 

 bed and to kill soil insects as well, the bed should be burned during 

 the winter before it is seeded. If plenty of good dry brush is avail- 

 able (pine brush is best) the bed can be most easily and cheaply 

 burned with this material. Usually it is necessary to haul the brush 

 at least a short distance. This can best be done by piling it compactly 

 on a 12-foot wagon frame. About eight good loads of well-compacted 

 brush will usually be required for a bed of 100 square yards. Before 

 the brush is piled on the bed, the leaves or other litter should be 

 raked from it, as they hold moisture and would tend to prevent 

 the heat from penetrating the soil to a sufficient depth. If brush in 

 sufficient quantity is not available or it is desired to burn the land 

 very thoroughly, a combination of wood and brush may be used. 

 Burning in this way will require about 3 cords of wood for 100 square 



