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GOOD SEED BED
VERY WORM
Ground For Good Seed Bed Must Be
Firm and Pulverized
On Top.
J3y W. C. Lassetter, Acting Director of
the Extension Division.
i/oose ground does not constitute a
good seed bed. Hard ground is nol
a good seed bed. A seed bed fit for
planting'of any class of farm seeds,
from the grasses, clovers and alfftJIa
•to seeds of larger type, such as grains,
corn and cotton, must be firm -not
loose and not hard—and pulverized on
top.
The importance of thorough prepa
ration for planting has been urged
and discussed from time immemorial,
yet few p<*t>ple seem to understand
the true meaning of a good seed bed.
1 have seen people preparing land for
alfalfa, which requires thorough pre
paration of a good seed bed. and these
jnen have gone ahead on the assump
tion that the ground must be well
broken, pulverized on top, and the
seed sown immediately. This pro
vides a loose seed bed, and if rain
is not forthcoming in a short time,
these same men wonder why they did
not get a stand. They have follow
ed a wrong principle—that of provid
irtg a loose seed bed rather than a
firm seed bed. well pulverized on top
Young seedlings cannot secure sat
isfactory growth on hard, impenetra
ble soil. When land has been subject
ed to the packing occasioned by
heavy rains, such as we have in ail
parts of Arkansas in the course of
the year, the soil particles are packed
closer and closer together until the
soil becomes practically impenetrable
nnd there is little room for movement
of these particles which is nec
essary if roots are to grow' down be
tween them; likewise there is lit
tie room for storage of moisture, and
therefore the young crop sufft rs from
lack of root development and lack of
moisture. A hard seed bed is very
undesirable, and will result in a smal
ler crop.
We oftentimes hear the remark that
Brasses and clovers must not be sown
on loose soil, but that they must be
sown on soil without preparation. This
is an erroneous idea, but it has arisen
on the basis of good sound principle,
in that no grass and clover crop will
do well if seeded on loose soil. The
truth of this suggestion lies in t'.ie
fact (hat the ground should be broken
from four to six weeks ahead of lime
for planting t!ie grasses and clovers
in order that the soil may have time
to settle down and become firm. In a
period of that duration the soil will
not have time to become packed and
hard except on the surface, and this
is remedied by frequent harrowing,
so that at the time of planting you
have a feed bed firm, not hard, with
the top well pulverized.
This principle can very well be ap
plied to all agricultural crops. The
remark is commonly hoard that young
cotton will not grow until the tap
root strikes hard ground. While the
idea as expressed is erroneous, there
is an element of.truth in the fact that
cotton planted in a loose bed will not
"grow as well as cotton that is planted
In ground that has been prepared suf
ficiently far in advance for the soil
to be '.veil firmed at the t'me of seed
ing. Cotton planted on a hard ridge
cannot be expected to stand the
drouth, nor to make the satisfactory
growth to be obtained by cotton
planted on land properly prepared, as
explained above.
In many sections it has become com
mon in preparing land for cotton to
throw up a thin layer of loose earth
on hard ridges, harrow this loose soil
down and plant. This leaves a hard
ridge underneath, covered by a thin
layer of rather fine soil. This does
not constitute good preparation, be
cause this is a hard seed bed rather
than a firm seed bed.
The whole scope of proper prepara
tion for the planting of agricultural
crops can bo summed up as follows:
Whatever the crop may be, break the
land from three to six weeks ahead
of planting time, keep the surface
harrowed until planting time, and be
fore planting pulverize the surface so
that it will be free from clods and
free from crust. This will give a
firm seed bed, well pulverized, and
that moans a good seed bed.
Test Cotton Seed Before Planting.
Just any kind of cotton seed will
not do. In the springs of 1914-15 the
Arkansas Experiment Station tested
cotton seed from more than 70 sources
each season. These seeds were .taken
from lots of seed that were intended
to l>e used for planting. Careful ger
mination tests showed a variation of
from 19 per cent to 98 per cent germi
nation. Cotton seed seldom shows
higher than from 75 to 85 per
cent germination, but if planted
it should not show less than
70 per cent. No man wants to plant
seed that will not come up. The only
way to find out in advance is to test.
A simple tester consisting of two
plates and an old towel, or other ab
sorbent cloth, is sufficient for any
farmer to test his cotton seed. Test
your cotton seed. Consult your coup
tv agent or write to the Extension Pi
vision, College of Agriculture, Fay
etteville, for instructions for testing.
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REX BEACH
has written another
story full of adventure
and action, with inter
esting and picturesque
characters. It has the
virilestrength that made
his early Alaska roman
ces so popular and that
splendid strain of humor
for which he is known.
We have been fortunate
in securing this story
for our next serial and
urge you to watch for
and read
Heart of the
Sunset
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Amsterdam Cr.ctts .Doomed.
The inexorable housing reformer has
reached the famous Amsterdam Ghetto,
and is making a lirst assault on the
miniature Jewish state that has exist
ed for more than three centuries in
Holland's capital on the Zuyder Zee
and has constituted for the modern
tourist one of the sights of the city.
One of the most thickly populated
quarters, the part known as the
“island” of Ullenburg, has been con
demned and is gradually being cleared
ol its several thousand inhabitants.
Plans have been drawn up for the
erection of 200 new dwellings in an
other quarter of the city, half ol' which
number will he let at below $1.20 a
week, the commune or state adding 20
to ?<l cents in some cases.
Wives Who BearToo Heavy a Load
By LAURA JEAN LIBBEY
1 will be quiet and talk with you,
And reason why you are wronR.
You wanted my love—Is that much true?
And so I did love—so 1 do:
What has come of It all along?
Mon who have been the most ardent
lovers are sometimes the first to for
get to keep up
their attentions
a f t e r wedlock.
They know they
have secured the
treasure and
what’s the use of
bothering any
in o r e concerning
it? The girl whom
such a man was
wont to devise no
end of pleasure
for, taking her to
all places of
amuse m e nt, is
after wedlock
transferred to the
kitchen. No mut
ter how prosper
ous he grows, he
doesn’t consider that he should lift
the burden of work from her shoul
ders.
Most young wives start in with a
light heart and joy for housekeeping.
Hut the treadmill of work which has
no change shifting through it makes
even a sunny nature despondent. As
long as a limn has' his good meals
rooked well, his home neat and clean,
he Is content to let It go at that. He
sees the roses die out of his good
wife’s cheeks. Her light stop is slow
er. It rests with him more than he is
aware whether in time the load !>*
i'uuies too heavy for her to hear or if
he manfully shifts the burden from
1 her shoulders to his. It doesn't al
ways require bringing in someone to
do the work. There are other means
to lighten the load.
No matter how much he may appre
ciate home cooking, he should be
wise enough to insist that she shall ac
company him out for a dinner occa
sionally on Sunday. The restaurant
to which he takes her may not he an
expensive one. But the change of food
and surroundings would do her a world
of good. How delighted the over
worked housewife is to hear her hus
band say: “Let me take n hand in
helping you clear away the lunch dish
' es, that we may go out for a walk
this bright Sunday afternoon.” With
a helping hand, how quickly the work
- is finished. She is encouraged to don
! her Sunday clothes, primping a bit
just as she used to do when she was a
, single girl waiting the coming of her
beau. A husband should see to it that
the evenings do not hang unpleasant
ly. There are old friends to call on. a
lecture or movie to while away dull
care. Just because she is married, he
shouldn’t suppose that she has lost
her enthusiasm to go to a dance now
and then. She may not care to trip
the light fantastic toe, ns she used to
in other days, but pleasant memories
come to her as she looks on.
It Is every husband’s duty to make
his wife’s life happy. This she cannot
be if she has no pleasures. She is
glad to save for him; make a con
tented home, do everything to further
his interest. Wljy shouldn’t he try to
make her burdens as light as he can?
Her happiness should be his happi
ness.
(Copyright, 1917.)
Elephants Not Cowards.
The fear siti elephant has for n rat
has often been spoken of ns an exam
ple of colossal cowardice. But it is
nothing of the kind. The elephant,
when captive and in chains, has every
reason to regard with terror the little
rodent, which, in the still watches of
the night, gnaws the toenails of the
helpless pachyderm. Not much of
this sort of thing is required to make
the huge creature lame. By such at
tack, not long ago, three young ele
phants belonging to Hagenbaek’s out
fit were so badly injured that they
had to bo shot.
We Can Make You Son
At the Top.
A politician was talking at a din
ner in New York about the American
business man. “It is his hard and
endless work,” lie said, "which puts
tiie American business man at the very
top of the tree, lie doesn’t know the
meaning of the word leisure. A little
boy said to his father, a millionaire
business man: ‘Pa, what’s leisure?*
The father looked up from the en
velope on which tie was figuring with
his gold fountain pen aud answered:
‘Leisure, my son. is spare time that
Providence affords us for cleaning up
various jobs of unfinished work.’ ”
ie Good Clubbing Rates.
A
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RAILROAD TIME TABLE.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern
LITTLE ROCK ft MONROE RV.
South North
7:45 a. m.Huttig . 5:59 p. m
9:50 a. m.Monroe . 2:07 p. in
■ local. *
Leaves Arrives
1 1:25 a. m. ... Huttig . .. 1 2:30 p. m.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern
PAKMERVILLE ft SOUTHERN RY.
North South
5:22 a. m. Huttig 2:32 p. m
7:21 a. m. Farmerville. 5:45 p. m
LOCAL, t
10:10 a. m. Huttig.2:22 p.m.
fArrives Monday, Wednesday, and Fri
day from Monroe and goes to Farmer
viile. «
‘Arrives Tuesday. Thursday and Satur
day from Farmerville and goes to Mon-'
roe. .
LODGE DIRECTORY
ROWLAND LODGE No. 594 F. & A.
M.meets every second and fourth Satur
day evenings at 7:30 o’clock. Visiting
Masons always welcome.
T. B. Weaver, W. M.
W. P. Reasons, Sec'y.
HOWARD CHAPTER. No. 122, R. A.
M. meets every first and third Thurs
day evening at Masonic hall. Visiting
companions welcome.
J. M Gibson, H. P.
C. A. Berry, Secy.
ZEDEICIAH, COUNCIL. U. D.. R. &
S. M Meets every fourth Wednesday
night of each month. Visiting compan
ions welcome T. B Weaver. T. I. M.
R. N. Benson, Recorder.
HUTT1G CHAPTER No. 320. Order of
the Eastern Star, meets every first and
third Friday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
Visiting brothers and sisters welcome.
Mrs. J. A. Brignac, W. M.
Mrs. L. G. Gibson. Sec'y.
HUTTIG LODGE No. 348 I. 0. 0. F.
meets every first and third Tuesday eve
ning. All brethern cordially invited
H. C. Bedford. N. G.
Harlan Sehon, Secy.
HUTTIG REBEKAH LODGE No. 66,
meets every Monday night at 7:30 o'clock
Visitors are invited.
Mrs. Wilkie Frost, N. G.
Mrs. Murray Maroney, Secy.
SWEET BAY CAMP No. 41 1 W.O. W.
meets every first and third Saturday eve
nings. Visitors made welcome.
Lester Malone, C. C.
J. C. Bridges. Clerk.
Sweet Bay Circle No. 145. W. C..
meets every second and fourth Thursday
nightrat 7:30 o’clock. Visitors are cor
dially invited.
Mrs. E. S. Etheridge, Guardain.
Mrs. J. C. Bridges, Clerk.
ex
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i__ -_
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Confectionery
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Come here when
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long way and
always gets the
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