Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-05-31
FARM AND GARDEN.
Principles of Surface Tillage-II.

also TENDS TO cause an edIlltT BciW
of weed seeds, thus making 1t possible TO
kill ore or more crops OF weeds before
the field is planted. The first stirring OF
the soil often so much warns 1t that
weed seeds near the surface quickly
sprout, so that in fitting ground, even Tor
oats, time enough elapses before the oats
are sowed to let the weeds get sufii-
cient start so that the stirring of the soil
with the drill or seeder kills many and
this is especially true If the field is gone
over with light harrow "a to SO hours
after seeding. To careless observer
this statement may appear untrue, owing
to the fact that the weeds are not yet up
so as to show; but if the seeds have
sprouted they kill very easily by the dry
ing of the soil, because they have no root
surface to adhere to the soil and keep
them alive when exposed to the drying
wind and sun.
1t should be kept in mind that heavy
growth of weeds on soil before the crop
is planted tends to reduce the Immediately
available fertility by taking up the solu-
BILE salts, by drying out the field and by
reducing the rate at which plant food in
the form of nitrates is developed. 1t is
of course true that when the weeds decay,
the plant food may be returned, but the
danger is that they will not decay quickly
enough to become available as soon as
needed by the crop, especially il the crop
is planted late and the growth of weeds
has been heavy.
Weed seeds do not all terminate at once,
and while the stirring of the soil kills
- hop . othprs upHpr eIIit-
able conditions to terminate. On this
account narrowing piece of corn or pota-
toes just after planting and again after
they are up is the best and cheapest
means of insuring perfectly clean rows.
The broad, light fitting, spike-tooth har-
row is the best tool for this work. and
when rightly used is very efficient.
The teeth should be fairly close together,
SO that all the soil is stirred, but only to
slight depth after the corn is up; other
wise the corn plants will be torn out.
After the corn is up, the best time to har-
row is Just after dinner, when the soil is
warm andN evaporation is rapid. Under
these conditions the plants are more flex-
ible and do not break of as they may in
the colder part of the day.
1t sometimes happens that heavy rain
follows planting so closely that the first
narrowing must be delayed long enough
for the soil to dry out. Cases like this
require the closest watchfulness and the
harrow should start at the earliest posi-
BILE moment. If this is not done the soil
will draw together about the plants so
closely that if it is stirred about them it
will often adhere so firmly as to break
them off. There is always stage after
a rain when the soil will easily work up
fine and the tendency is to wait too long.
Those who have not made it II careful
study will be surprised to see how soon
after rain light harrow may be used
shallow without injuring the soil, and
how much more efficient it Is then than
when used later on soil which tends to
become hard and stiff after rains.
After the narrowing stage has been
passed, more positive tool is needed,
which can stir the soil thoroughly to
greater depth. The best tool for inter-
tillage has a sufficient number of tech
ID to inches wide 80 thoroughly stir the
soil to depth of about three inches.
The commone,t mistake made in Guilt
waiting corn is in not working close
enough to the row the first time through
the field. There should be so much
freedom of motion in the gangs of teeth
that with slight effort they may be
brought together or separated very
quickly, and the two gangs of the two
horse cultivator should be held so closely
together that without throwing much
earth the surface in the row is completely
covered. The teeth should be set so as
TO run little deeper in the center of the
row where the roots are farther below
the surface and where the mulch needs
to be deeper on account of the greater
evaporation there. AS the corn becomes
Older the depth of cultivation should be
decreased slightly and the distance from
the row made a little greater in order to
avoid root pruning.
In cultivation where broad shovels are
used for general work, several bad effects
result. In the first place, in order to
effectually stir the soil the shovels must
be set so that the points run too deeply
into the ground and the dirt is thrown so
far that it Is impossible to work close
enough to the row. In the second place
the surface is left so rough that the mulch
developed is less effective as such and
more of the soil is thrown out of use in
the ridges where it becomes too dry to
allow nitrates to form well In it.. Besides
this when rains follow the cultivation, a
large per cent of water is absorbed by
the ridges which lose it quickly by evap-
Grafton, and thus it contributes but little
toward the growth of the crop, because
the roots are all below and capillary
action will not convey any nitrates which
may be developed there downward, be-
cause, on account of evaporation, the
motion is in the opposite direction. The
ridges even tend to concentrate in them
selves out of reach of the roots much of
the nitrates which are formed deeper in
the ground.
la localities where the fields are not