Times-promoter., 1908-10-23
Before You start to PIow.

Flowing will soon be in progress.
Many have already begun to turn the
stubble fields while others are well
along with the work. Flowing is an
important task on the farm and the
plow may be considered the most
essential OF all our farm implements.
What is the object of plowing? Some
say it is to cover up the weeds and 10
bring more weed seeds to the sur
face where they may sprout and get
in condition to enable person to de-
stroy them. Others add that to loosen
the soil, as is turned with the plow,
is to enable 1t to absorb water to.
better advantage.
All these are good reasons but there
are many other equally important ar
guments in favor OF plowing. While
plowing, if properly done, puts the
surface of the soil in better condition
for the absorption of water, poor plow-
ing does not always do 1t. Go into
field where the ground is dry and hard
and turn the soil over, breaking it up
into large Jumps as Is often done
under such conditions, and you injure
it's physical condition When you
turn furrow that is dry and hard
and full of big Jumps the furrow slice
is left rather loose and not properly
connected with the subsoil under
meath: This is especially true when
there is considerable amount OF or
ganic matter to be turned under. A
furrow slice left in that manner dries
out and results in the production OF
hard clods, which can be broken down
only with difficulty. True, clod forma-
tion in the fall is not SO Objectionable
as it is in the spring, since fall plowed
land will go through Stacking and
mellowing process through the winter
months because of alternating freezing
and thawing- To overcome clod for
nation we believe it will pay in most
instances to thoroughly disc the stub
BILE fields before plowing. 1t will be
well to double disc it and to- do it at
right angles to the direction in which
it is to- be plowed.
This discing will SO mellow the sur
face that plowing will be much easier
than without it, and besides it culti-
Yates that part OF the furroW slice
that cannot be reached so well after
the ground has been Dlowed, but the
most important advantage gained
from discing before plowing, lies in
the fact that the top OF the, furrow
slice will come in close contact with
the bottom of the furrow and thus re-
establish capillary action so that
water from below may rise up into the
top soil to large extent preventing
clod formation.
The Importance OF thorough tilling
cannot be overestimated. Bacterial
action continues through the fall
months and the more favorable the
condition in the soil for the growth
and development of bacteria, the more
of the insoluble plant food in the soil
will be made soluble and available
for next years crops.
A soil that remains hard and dry
through the fall months does not pre-
sent ideal conditions for the free circn-
lation of air, and since air is neces-
sary for bacterial life, it is evident
that these organisms cannot do the
amount of work in poorly cultivated
soil that they can in one which the
physical condition lis more favorable.
AS rule farmers do not realize that
PHYSICAL composition of a soil lis as
important, and in many cases, even
more important, than the chemical
composition. A soil may contain an
abundance OF plant food, yet not yield
good crops even If moisture conditions
are favorable, simply because the
plant food it contains may be over
come by tillage. Farmers Tribune.