The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-09-18
FALL FLOWING.
OF Interest to Farmers Who Unders tand the
Practical Nature of the Work. ri &.

Practical Nature of the Work. q
The season of fall blowing is at nand
for all that class of farmers who truly
understand the practical nature of the
work in question A large number Of
farmers, however, suppose that the later
the blowing is done before the final
freezing up of the soil the better. Such
is not the case. The special object of
fall blowing is to fit all land intended
for seeding to small grain or grass for
the reception of the seed. The object
in view is two-fold: consolidation of the
lower portion of the soil and pulveriza-
ton of the surface. By early fall plow-
ing we obtain weathering and disinte-
grafton of the soil as to its general char.
acter. All that remains, then, is to
produce the best possible surface filth.
10 create the best conditions for small
grain and grass the soil must have con
siderable solidity, with fine dsinte-
grated condition as to the surface This
is reached, as rule, on clays and clay
loans, by early rather than late plow-
ing; and, after the 1st of September,
weeds do not appear to such a degree
as to prevent the working Of the pulyer-
lzing implements in the spring
Another class of farmers refuse to
pillow until the land becomes moist
enough to render the blowing easy. and
SO the burrows will pass in well disin-
tegrated condition from the moldboard
The consequence is, much valuable
time is often lost, the blowing being
sometimes delayed so late in the season
that the required acres can not be
turned over. So between dry and moist
fall blowing it should be only ques-
ton OF team. So far as disintegration
lis concerned, the fall blowing is rough
and somewhat lumpy simply from be-
ing too dry. The weathering will be
far, more perfect than if the soil is moist.
The later rains will thoroughly saturate
the whole, and the consequent expan=
sion and breaking down by frost will
be of the most perfect character. Where
two horses would do the work in moist
soil three will do it when dry, and the
added value to the soil will fully war
rant the outlay.
Z Still another class will not plow in
the autumn for barley, flax or corn. 1t
is true that these crops require soft
ground, but a light spring blowing fully
fits the ground for the two first grains,
and spring blowing at just such depth
as not to turn up the turned-under
stubble leaves the soil for planting in
far better cordition than from single
spring blowing This spring blowing is
done at a rapid rate, compared to the
deep blowing of a eompacTed soil, and
thus the farmer, especially in spring
seasons of untoward weather, keeps
ahead of his work and feels no inclina-
nation to pillow his land when too wet.
In fact, the greatestgain is in wet, I'M
toward spring weather z. ni
Still another class OF men refuse to
plow late in The autumn unless the soil
is in as good condition to pillow as when
hot suns wodld bake it, to its serious
injury. Yet the conditions are different.
Late in the autumn the sun has not
power to quickly dry out and bake the
soil, and if it had, the succeeding win
ter's rains and frost would mellow and
pulverize the whole. The action of
A OoU 40 W C-N I'61Au OH lnOlSt oubSGd1Ce
through the expansion of the water
contained in the act of freezing. Hence
every particle of soil, when wet or
moist, under the action of frost expands
Independently each of the other, and is
thus rendered light and porous. just in
proportion to its capacity to absorb
moisture. ~ The wonderful expansive
powers of clay-loans and stiff CLAWS will
therefore easily be seen when we re-
member that such soils will absorb
moisture of from thirty per cent. up to
forty per cent. of their weight. This
property of great absorption is also of
value in bringing the soil earlier in coz
dition in the spring than in hard sol.
Not only evaporation is stronger, but
infiltratlon is easier-tw two important con-
siderations. However the theory any
farmer may hold, the most condition of
the soilover wide areas this autumn viii
not be bar to early blowing of all
areas intended for cereal grains. For
wheat it is absolutely essential for the
earlier this crop is sown the better, as
rule, is the crop Chicago Tribune. 90