The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-03-23
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
ACRlcULTURISTS.
ONE Up-to-Dnts Hints About CuItiva-
tion Of the Soil and Yields Thereof
Hortieulture. Kiticulturs and FloriouI-
ture.
The Work of ths narrou.

There is no farm tool that occupies
a larger place in the work OF the farm
than does the harrow. Its popularity
has grown as agricultural knowledge
has increased. It is now used oftener
and in more places than ever before
A generation ago each farmer thought
one harrow sufficient for all his needs;
but now the scientific agriculturist
feels that he can invest in several with
profit, obtaining thus tools that will
do perfect work under almost any con-
ditions likely to arise on the farm and
on any soils.
Year by year the farmer is coming
to understand better that he must
make war on the clod The plow ere
ates It; the harrow alone can destroy
It. In it is locked up the plant food
that should make a part Of his reve-
nue.. The clod resists the roots Of the
plants and they run around It. If it
lies on top Of the ground It dries out
and the humus in it is destroyed TO
the extent Of its exposure to heat
Whether in the soil or above II. the
clod, like a stone, occupies valuable
room. II It lies above the ground II
shuts off light from the soil under
it, II 1t is In the soil It lies in that
part (Bsar the surface) where the room
Is most needed for the development Of
roots. On heavy soil clods often oc-
cupy a very large percentage OF the
ground both on the surface and under
It. This IS equivalent to putting that
amount Of ground out Of cultivation,
which means. in turn, a proportionate
decrease Of the crop.
There Is only one way Of getting
rid Of these elods, and that is by use
Of the harrow. BY this implement the
clods are pulverized on the surface
and for two or three inches in the
ground. The feeding area is thus In
creased, and the ground brought into
a condition where it can be used as a
starting bed Tor the tender shoots first
sent out by the seeds. insufficient har-
rowing is often the cause Of great loss
in the crops Where the ground Is
inclined to be lumpy and the harrow
ing has been only imperiectly done, the
air IS admitted to the ground in al
directions and through spaces 50 large
that the moisture is dried out Of a
considerable portion Of the soil. This
drying out renders Il exceedingly diff
ilcult for the seeds to get a foundation
In which to develop their shoots. Many
instances OF this kind might be cited.
In one case in the mind Of the writer
sod had been turned over for corn.
The narrowing was so imperfectly
done that whole burrows Of the turned
sod were separated from the subsoil
to an extent that permitted the air "a
move through and under them and dry
out the earth. The season was dry
or rains might have washed down
enough soil TO Oh up the open spaces
AS II was, the corn crop proved 10 be
a failure, except where the kernels OF
corn fell into the bottoms Of the fur
rows. Elsewhere, the kernels sproutet
and sent up feeble stalks. which never
obtained enough moisture TO reach
maturity OF form ears BY sufficient
narrowing the soil would have beer
pulverized sufficiently to establish the
action Of capillary water Throughout
and the whole corn crop would have
been fed. Doubtless the farmer in the
instance mentioned lost enough money
on this one crop to have purchased a
good many harrows.
The harrow is the enemy Of weeds
and the most potent factor in destroy,
ing them Before even the top Of the
tiny weed gets to the surface Of the
ground the harrow goes over them q
the narrower is on the alert. and they
are destroyed Their tender rootlets
which were just getting fixed in th,
soil, are loosened, and. being near the
surface, are dried out before they can
re-establish themselves. The form ol
harrow that we call a "weeder will
often be found OF immense value IN
the destruction Of weeds. as It can ID
used when the corn crop or potato
crop Is well up. and in such case Il
Will keep down the weeds without In
iuring the crop that IS being grown
This is because its teeth so far enough
into the soil to turn out the newly
started weeds. but do not 60 down to
the roots Of the potato or corn plants
Some Of our best orchardists. as well
as our general farmers. are using weed
ers extensively. The writer was IN the
peach orchard OF Mr.. Morrill, Of Ben
ton Harbor. Mich, and was forcibly
struck with the extensive use being
made Of weeders there. These imple-
ments were being SO extensively used
that the ground throughout an the
peach orchard was as bare OF weeds
as q floor Mr. Morrill, said to a party
Of friends present. Here is a good
place for some of you to make money.
Go through my orchard and pull up
and bring to me every weed you and
n viii give you a dollar apiece for
them That was what the use of the
weeder accomplished there. The mois-