The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1888-11-03
FLOWING IN FALL.
Work That Had Better BE Done in No
Vember and December Than in Spring.

vember and December Than in Spring.
But few farmers pillow ground in the
fall that is intended for crops in the
spring. This seems strange to the
writer, as he has always been pleased
with the results of fall blowing, and
for several reasons:
l. 1t can be done at less expense, as
farm labor does not command the
prices during the months of November
and December that the same labor
would during the months of March,
April and May. Usually the teams
are not so busy in the fall as in the
spring, and will, if worked to their
capacity, do more blowing in one day
than the same teams in the spring will
or should do, for the reason that the
horses, because of their having COM
paratively little to do during the win
ter months, are soft. and will not stand
the hard work they will in the fall.
2. As a rule, the blowing is done in
better manner in the fall, because
usually it is not attended with the
same rush and hurry that seem to tal1e
possession of the average farmer or
even the progressive farmer; for the
man who can quietly stop to take out a
stump, remove large stone or burn a
log heap, or even pull out and haul off
elder roots, when blowing on a fine
day in April, is an exception. 1t is
different in the fall.
8. Quite a large percentage of land
has limestone subsoil, and in many
places the limestone soil crops out;
and if this kind of land is not plowed
until say early in May, and the wealth
er is dry and warm, it is almost impos-
sible to reduce the clods or Jumps to
make the field fit for corn or potatoes.
This kind of land, unlike the average
machine agent or tree peddler, will
bear acquaintance; and for pasture.
wheat or corn, can not be surpassed by
any other kind of soil in this section,
but must be understood to be appre-
ciated. Should a farmer who has been
raised in a section where the fOunda.
ton of the soil is of a sandy or
gravelly nature, move to this country,
and attempt to pillow one of our lime
stone fields for corn late in April, / am
persuaded that he would abandon the
idea in disgust; but fall blowing will,
through the action of frost, bring this
land into excellent condition for corn,
and this is true of many kinds of soil.
One objection can be raised to fall
blowing, however. Should the winter
be very wet, the ground plowed in the
fall might become something like NOR
tar and run together, and when dry
would be hard to fit for corn. To this
l reply that many of our best farmers
advocate the semi-solid seed-bed for
most of our leading farm crops; and if
they are correct, then the extra work
to fit the ground for corn would not be
lost, and l have concluded that where
a field WAS put in first-class condition
before planting, it is but little trouble
to cultivate it either in corn or potatoes
after the crop is planted.
The average farmers garden is a
failure, the result. | think, of having
too much on hand at the time the gar
den needs attention. Why then should
not farmers try fall blowing as a rem
edy for that eye-sore on many farms
an unproductive, weedy patch called
garden? Nowhere have / seen the same
marked results in favor of fall blowing
as in the garden itself. And how readi-
ly can the manure, as made on
the farm, be moved directly from the
barn and stables to these plowed fields,
when there is a light snow on the
ground, and spread directly from the
sled; any teaching that does occur, at
once finding the soil ready to drink up
the valuable plant food which, in so
many eases, finds its way to the ditch
or stream, and is lost
Some one may raise the question, can
manure that is moved at once from the
barn to the field be worked into the
soil successfully? My experience leads
me to answer, yes; not from observa-
ton of others, but in using the team
myself. The only trouble is to get
small quantity of the soil mixed with
manure first An excellent implement
for this purpose is any good riding
cultivator.
In conclusion | would say, pillow sod
in the fall; cover all you can of it dur
ing the winter with fresh manure;
thoroughly till the land before plant
ing, and mix the manure with the soil,
near the surface, where it will do the
most good.-W. q. Berry, IN Country