18 BULLETIN 16, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
flower débris 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. 
f 
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 
erass 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 cheapiy 
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 
ona 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 
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