The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-28

be accomplished by the persistent use
of the harrow and where the soil is
wanted left in a loose, spongy condi-
ton the harrow alone should be used.
There are many styles of harrOws on
the market to-day that are claimed to
have superior advantages over the old
make of straight spike harrow for
smashing clods and converting them,
in the least possible time, into loose
SOIL When the roller is used the work
can be done much quicker by follow
ing each time with the harrow, yet
as we have said, when the soil is not
wanted left packed down as the COM
mon roller naturally leaves it, the har-
row had better be used altogether
without any rolling. Where the soil is
of the nature of heavy clay and wash
ing rains are liable to follow one an
other at the time the roller is being
considered as a help to the harrow
ing process, it had better be dispensed
with, for the heavy rains thoroughly
pack the soil anyway and on ground
that has but just been rolled with a
heavy roller, the results are even
more pronounced. We have known of
farmers using the roller intending, as
should always be done, to follow on
Immediately with the harrow, but be-
fore the work could be done
a heavy rain came, the soil
all ran together and by the time it was
dry enough to drive a team on, the
whole blowing, from the bottom of the
furrow up, had become as solidly pack
ed as before the blowing had been
done. This was, of course, only on a
certain quality of soil. On soil that
was more porous the result would have
been different and instead of being left,
at the time when work could be re-
bt1p in solid II would hn
ready for the harrow, and finishing
job could be done.
Many of the rollers in use on the
farm are made at home or by the
blacksmith. A log is usually used for
the roll and has a smooth surface.
When the soil is in a certain condition,
that is, moist enough to crumble easily.
the work is very satisfactory but when
the clods to be destroyed are very dry
and hard, the smooth surface of the
roller has a tendency to crumble off
only a little from the top as it turns
over them; the bottom twothirds of
the Jumps are then pressed into the
looser soil below and there remain
unless brought to the top with har-
row.
To overcome this difficulty the man
ufacturers of rollers are making a roll
er the surface of which is corrugated
or is made or rings winch nave open
spaces between them. Rollers of this
style are said to smash and pulverize
the dry, hard clods much better than
a continuous surface, and do not press
the Jumps into the soil without break
ing them. In spots where the soil is
damp or the whole field is a little damp
from a light shower these pulverizers
or rollers are more apt to clog, the
open spaces filling up with dirt to
which more will adhere, until the i'm
plement must be cleaned or good work
cannot be accomplished.
Soil in this condition is more favor
able to the use of a solid roller and
even then we doubt very much if as
good work could be done with one as
by continued narrowing. The primary
use of the roller in all cases is to break
up the clods, and the man who has no
clods has no use for a roller, unless
he has some particular field that he
wants firmed, and then if his soil has
not too much sand in it the beating
rains that usually accompany this sea-
son will, in time. do it for him, We
would not decry the use of the roller,
for there are times when it saves lots
of extra work with the harrow, but
the farmer who puts too much de-
pendence on it, thinking he can break
all clods, pulverize and harrow the
field with it at one operation, is going
to be mistaken.