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. 
