Preparation of Seed-Bed and Planting . 113 
TIME OF SEEDING 
The date of planting seed varies with the region and 
with the season. In the Mississippi Valley and the East, 
the time of planting is between April 1 and June 1. In 
Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, it is two 
or three weeks earlier. Adams! gives the time for plant- 
ing in California as follows : 
Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys January 15 to March 15 
Southern California . . . . . . October 1 to April 1 
Central Coast Counties . . . . . February 1 to June l 
In most regions the season of planting is late March, 
April, and early May. Seeding time should not be de- 
termined by the calendar, but by soil and weather con- 
ditions. The soil should be warm and moist and the 
period of severe frosts should be past. 
Early seeding has many advantages and some draw- 
backs. If the seed is planted early and for any reason 
the stand is poor, there is still time to re-seed. There is 
also the advantage that the young plant can use the early 
spring moisture to germinate and get up before hot weather 
causes a crust to form. If seeding is done too early, there 
is danger of the seed remaining in the cold soil so long 
that it rots before there is sufficient heat to germinate. 
In some localities the time of planting is determined 
by seasonal winds which dry the land and cause it to 
crust or in other ways injure the newly planted seed or 
the seedling. Dates of planting must be chosen so that 
the seedlings will not be at a critical stage during the 
season when regular unfavorable winds occur. 
1 Adams, R. L., Calif. Exp. Sta., Cir. No. 160. 1917. 
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