St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-11-07
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 blowing? Some
say it is to cover up the weeds and to
bring more weed seeds to the sur
face where they may sprout and get
in condition to enable a person to de-
stroy them. Others add that to loosen
the soil, as is turned with the plow,
is to enable it to absorb water to
better advantage.
All these are good reasons but there
are many other equally important ar
guments in favor of blowing. While
blowing, if properly DONE, puts the
surface of the soil in better condition
for the absorption of water, poor plow-
| ing does not always do it. Go into a
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 a ftlrrow that is dry and hard
and full of big Jumps the furroW slice
is left rather loose and not properly
cor hected 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-
ton 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 blowing. 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 blowing will be much easier
than without it, and besides it cult
Yates that part of the furrow slice
that cannot be reached SO well after
the ground has been ploWed, but the
most important advantage gained
) from discing before blowing lies il
the fact that the top of the furroW
slice will come in close contact with
4hD IF hn f11rr
establish capillary action SO tina
! water from below may rise up into the
top soil to a large extent preventing
J clod formation.
/ The Importance of thorough tillint
t cannot be overestimated. Bacteria
action continues through the fal
5 months and the more favorable thu
, condition in the soil for the growth
: and development of bacteria, the NOR
/ OF the insoluble plant food in the sol
Y will be made soluble and available
! for next years crops.
: A soil that remains hard and dr.
$ through the fall months does not pre-
+ sent ideal conditions for the free circu
lation of air, and since air is neces
t sary for bacterial life, it is eviden
d that these organisms cannot do tn
+ amount of work in poorly cultivate
, soil that they can in one which tn
b physical condition lis more favorable
n AS a rule farmers do not realize tina
d physical composition of soil is a
y important, and in many cases eve
S more important, than the chemica
S composition A soil may contain a
y abundance of plant food, yet not yiel
e good crops even if moisture condition
3 are favorable, simply because tn
t. plant food it contains may be owe
come by tillage.-Farmers' Tribune.
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