The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-14

so fast that the grass cannot grow. Run actoss your corn and cotton until you get them about as thin as you wish them. Isnd then cultivate with the rows. Many will say all this Is expensive. Try fl: one hand going over from ten to fifteen acres in a day can be Jone twelve times cheaper than hoeing one acre of grassy cotton.
 The Uses of Narrowing.
 Samuel Fraser in Farming
 Narrowing is just as important as blowing. It is quite as costly proce- dhre, too, and the yield of crops is fre- ouently governed by the character of inc preparation of the seedbed. A poorly prepared. haphazard. rough seed- bed not only causes some seed to be covered too deep, and some not at all. but the soil is not in condition to feed the plants in a proper manner If a seedbed is not in ideal condition 1t fre- auently pays to delay the sowing of the crop for few days in order that the land may be better prepared. On light soils, sands and gravels, the soils can be fitted. some days previous to sowing, without fear of pudding. On clays and heavy loams 1t is dangerous to prepare the land until it Is certain that 1t can be seeded before rain comes Consequently fl is unwise to fit these latter soils as finely in the fall as in the spring. because. If heavy rains come before winter. the land may pack and exclude the air which is nec- essary for the growing plants. Heavy soils which are to be sown to fall wheat are therefore. never so finely prepared as lighter soils would be. The same is true In getting the ground ready for grass seed. It Is better in this case to leave the land rougher and SOW little more seed. In narrowing not only must the differences in the soils be considered. but also the differences in the harrows. There are several types of harrows. all made for special purposes. Some of the more common of these are-the spike-toothed. spring toothed, disc, cutaway, and spadfng harrows; the Acme and such special purpose harrows as the Meeker and the chain harrows.
 The spike-toothed harrow is the old est form Modern types are so con- structed that the teeth can be set on slant when it is desired to diminish the depth of narrowing. They are made in all sizes, the lighter kinds be- ing used for narrowing in seeds, the heavier ones for pulverizlng soil. To be sfeetive pulverizing ht hsv tools; end nSs ass in sections. and at least three sections should be used together. The larger the area covered at once, the better: s the harrow then runs steadier and Is not so liable to shirk the hard places Making the harrow in sections permits of it's being cleaned. enables 1t to turn easier and to be increased or reduced in size.
 The spring-toothed harrow consists of several spring tines on frame It Is an excellent tool for heavy, rough or stony land. It is more efficient than the spike-toothed harrow, being. in fact, the best general purpose harrow: it is the, tool an Eastern man buys when he can afford but one.
 The disc, cutaway and spad1ng har- rows all belong in the same class. They are the most efficient pulverizers we have for deep tiIlage and for making the soil loose as well as fine The solid disc seems to be adopted to all except stony land. On such it is continually being lifetd out, and better work would be accomplished if the cutaway or the spading harrow were used.
 The Acme Harrow consists of se- ries of slanting knives, set in frame which cut and pulverize the soil For the width covered it is heavier to pull than any other type of harrow, be- cause 1t is the most efficient pulverizer. It is not useful on stony land and IS not made for deep narrowing. It Is an excellent tool for surface fitting.
 Among the special purpose harrows may be mentioned the Meeker harrow, which consists of several rows of discs set in d frame. These with the assistance of a small planker, which is a part of the frame, constitute one of the best sur face fitting tools made. Its use Is to level the land and prepare the surface half inch, thus leaving the land in a suitable condition for sowing small seeds such as onions, cabbages, root crops and truck crops.
 The roller and planker may here be mentioned, since they are frequently great aids to the harrow in preparing land. They diner considerably in ac- tion. for while the roller pulverizes and packs the soil; the planker pulverizes and levels without packing.
 These considerations help in deciding whether to use these tools as acces sories to the harrow. On the Cornell