Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-26
PRESERVE MOISTURE.
EARLY SURFACE TILLAeE HOLDS
WATER SUPPLY AND WARNS
THE GROUND.
Weather and Crop Service Has valua-
BILE Article on Preparation Of Soil
for Early seedine-start Harrows
and Discs as Early as Possible.

WopSilo county gram growers VIII
md suggestions that may prove of
great value to them in the matter of
preparing the soil for the reception of
seed that is to form the basis of their
crops Tor the year, in an article pub
lished in the March number of the
Monthly Review of the Weather and
Crop service. The central thought Of
the article is the preservation so far
as possible of the water supply which
| the ground has collected throughout
| the winter months. The article is as
| follows:
With the winters leave taking we at
! once become vitality interested in the
rapid warming up of the soil, because
! all persons that are concerned in crop
/ production know that the growth of
| vegetation is dependent upon air,
| moisture and certain amount Of
warmth. Early in the spring there
| is but little apprehension about the
| two first mentioned. warmth being the
factor OF first consideration.
1t is scarcely necessary to say that
the removal Of water from the land by
drainage is one Of the quickest and
most effective means Of warming it.
| Unless provision has previously been
made for the removal of free water.
the task of seeding will be an uphill
one. However, under average condi-
| tons when the soil dries out with
reasonable rapidity much may be
done by the farmer to hasten a rise of
temperature in the surface soil.
| In his work on Soils" King says
| that the thorough preparation of the
seed bed is justified in large meas
ure by the warming effect which jul
dicious, thorough tillage has. The
development of mulch over the
| ground lessons the loss of water from
| the surface by evaporation, and if by
this means we can save the loss into
| the air of few pounds Of water per
square foot we have avoided the with
drawal of an enormous amount of heat
owing to the fact that evaporation is a
cooling process. Thorough tillage,
therefore, not only saves moisture,
but at the same time it permits the
seed bed to warm up so that plant
foods are freely liberated The same
warmth that liberates food also hast
ems termination, thus getting the plant
into a condition to take advantage Of
the food being prepared.
| 1T is not SO important early in the
spring that the ground should be
warmed deeply but better only SO far
as to provide ample available plant
food for the start, and room enough
| for the first roots, and this is what
early tillage does; the loose, open soil
conducts neither cold water up to be-
come still colder by evaporation, nor
the absorbed sunshine down where it
! is not yet needed. In effect this meth
cd converts the whole field into a hot
bed or cold frame and commences irri-
cation by saving water at the start. 1t
does even more, for While it develops
early a little soluble plant food it holds
in allegiance these processes in the
deeper soil, which, by starting too
early would cause needless loss by
developing nitrates which may be
leached away before the crop has it's
roots ready to use them.
In view of the Importance of free
surface tillage early in the spring as a
means of warming up the soil, it's is
impossible to urge with too much
zeal the practice of freely discing or
narrowing pust as soon as the soil
will work without pudding. Too
many are inclined to let their old corn
fields lie until they are inverted with
the plow, which process often means
a matter of month or six weeks from
the time blowing is started until it is
finished. All this time soil moisture
is being evaporated at rapid rate
while the soil particles are not being
raised to that temperature that brings
about the most rapid termination aft
er the crop is planted. Our advice is
to start the harrows or discs just as
soon as the land will work well, be-
cause when this is done time may be
taken to plow properly, to cultivate
thoroughly and to harrow well in the
immediate preparation of the soil be-
fore planting. 1t is the duty of every
corn grower to see to it that the first
operation in the spring after tillage
implements are taken from the sheds
to produce mulch over the stubble,
corn lands or fall plowed fields.