Show HARM DONE BY OV OVER ERS SEEDING I 1 creat many dry farming failures may be attributed to practice rate of pla planting ming by JAMES D MARSHALL colorado experiment station ono of tho the most important problems associated with dry farming la Is the determination of the rato rate of seeding per acre A great many failures in dry farming may be ba at tributes trl tri buted to over seeding the one limiting factor of crop production on dry lands to la moisture and it Is largely because of its deficiency that care must bo be exercised in the rate of planting each plant in the soil takes out large quantities of water which are evaporated into the air through the leaves consequently when a thick stand Is obtained exceptionally largo large amounts of water are drawn from the soil A thick luxuriant stand in the spring or early summer Is no indication di of a good harvest as the probabilities are that such euch a heavy s tand stand will deplete the soil of moisture and prevent complete maturity of the crop while a thin stand would be able to withstand the dry periods and yield fairly well when harvested thin planting does not of necessity mean a thin stand whenever the moisture conditions the plants will stool or branch R out and make a stand that will warrant a satisfactory yield and at the same time be heavy enough to shade the ground and reduce the losses from excessive evaporation when plants are crowed ed very little if any sto spooling oling occurs and the plant Is unable to adapt itself to its immediate conditions As a general rule the rate of planting for dry lands is hist a trifle more than halt half of what would be used on irrigated lands |