The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-04-19
sl,p.suoo FLOWING.
One Of the Most Prolific Causes Of Failure
ON the Farm.


One Of the Most Prolific Causes sf Failure
ON the Farm.
An intelligent Scotch farmer who
visited the United States few years
ago stated that he saw tho best plows
and the poorest plowing here that he
ever noticed in any country. 1t was
his opinion that the good plows were
the principal cause Of the poor plow..
ing. He saw many small boys and
many old men using plows. but they
did poor work with thom. The boys
lacked in Judgment and experience,
and both the very young and the very
old lacked in strength to manage
plow properly. In his country the
best men on the place did the plow-
ing. He studied the occupation Of
holding the plow till he became an ex-
pert. In his opinion as much skill was
required to handle plow properly as
to use any Of the implements employed
by a machanic. In Great Britain
farm laboror takes great pains in
learning how to handle a plow proper
ly. for the reason that an accomplished
plowman can command higher wages
than an ordinary hand. The COM
mon Scotch plow can not be managed
by boy OF man of advanced age.
In riding about the country in car
or carriage one can see many exam
pies Of slovenly plowing. A strip of
land rod wide ut each end Of nearly
every plowed field is left insv very bad
conditions. The plow has run through
1t, but it has not been put in condi-
ton to produce small grain. corn or
potatoes. Dirt has been drawn out on
the grass so that scythe or moving
machine can not be used to cut it.
This strip of land is rendered of no
value for at least a year, and the
chances are that it will be nursery
of vile weeds. The burrows in no por-
ton of the field are straight or Of n
uniform width and thickness. The
lands do not ''come out eveu." The
burrows are wider at the ends Of the
lands than in the middle. II the plow
is set at the end to turn q furrow
twelve inches wide it is allowed to
turn narrow one near the middle Of
the land. As this Is the case an oval
shaped piece is left in the middle Of
the land after the two ends are plowed.
This makes the field look bad and
affords evidence that the plowing was
poorly done throughout tho entire
field. The lack of proper care is APP
parent even to one who sees the field
from distance.
A close examination Of the field
will show that the plowing was very
poorly done. Most of the soil was
turned by the plow. but many of the
burrows or parts of them were i'm.
properly placed. Some of them lie
quite fiat, some of them are on theil
edge, and others are SO placed that
seed on them will not be likely tc
germinate. An authority on plowine
writes as follows: 'Furrow slices
should lie easily upon each other. moi
pressed hard together The ground
on being plowed should feel equally
firm under the foot at all places fol
slices in a more upright position thar
thoy should be not only feel hard and
unsteady, but will allow the seed tt
fall between them and become buried
When too fat they yield considerably
to the pressure Of the foot; and they
cover each other too much, affordint
insufficient mold for the seed. They
should lie over at the same angle. pre-
senting crests in the best possible po
sition for the action of the burrows. ;
A good crop of small gram can no
be expected on land that was poorl.
plowed, neither can large crop O
corn or potatoes. No amount of har
rowing, rolling or cultivating cal
make up for poor plowing. If tn
plowing was poor the crop will ais
be poor. In most parts of the coun
try farmers expect too much Of thei
plowa There was never plow g.
we'll made that it would do first clas
work without good man at the han
dies. Excellent plowing is not los
} art, but an art that many farmer
have never mastered. Good plowin,
Is the third essential to producing
large crop of corn. Chicago Tines