Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1908-06-03

lis Use and its Abuses. Information for
Those Who Farm.

At this seaso of the year there
is nc implement on the farm of
more Importance than some good
form of harrow. such as may be
found in most of the markets.
AS fast as land is broken it should
be narrowed the same day. This
is to p~ulverize the clods. make a
fine seed bed aud conserve the
moisture. Do not wait two or
three days until several tons of
moisture have been lost on each
acre. Moisture is of utmost inn
portance to a growing crop. We
always have a dry spell some time
during the summer, so we must
arrange to have a good supply of
moisture stored in the soil to
carry the crop right on through
the drought. If the soil is so dry
and hard when breaking that it
breaks up In clods, then a roller
should precede the harrow. This
either brushes the clods or presses
them into the loose soil 30 that
when rain comes they absorb suf-
fcient moisture from the loose
soil to become dissolved. A clod
can hold but little moisture and
is not worth much more to a plant
than is a stone.
In the use of the harrow many
farmers make the mistake of try
ing to break land with them by
placing on them chunks. stones
or by riding on them, They were
not intended for breaking land:
but for surface cultivation. Even
the dire harrow is not suitable for
breaking land. Another very i'm
portant use Of the harrow, includ-
Ing the feeder and similar forms
of cultivators, is the first cultiva-
ton of the young plants. No
future cultivation is of quite the
Importance of the first. Even be-
fore the planting begins run the
harrow over the field. If a hard
rain comes before the seed are up,
the harrow should pass over again.
This should be repeated every
week or ten days, according to
seasons, until the plants are too
large. The ordinary harrow will
cover five or six acres per day
easily. The two-horse forms ten
or more. while the weeder will
cultivate fifteen acres per day
with a single man and horse.
The teeth (apikes) of the I'M
plements pass in among the young
plants and destroy weeds and
grass that would have to be
gotten out later by expensive
hand hoeing. Thus they are both
efficient and economical. The
time to use the harrow in such
cultivation is just as soon after a
rain as the land is dry enough for
the horse to walk on it easily.
Do not wait until a green carpet
appears Oh she surface aud the
soil has become dry. 1t will root
up some of the grass but will sim
ply cultivate the remainder so
that it will grow all the faster.
The good farmer never sees any
grass in his farm if he can prevent
it. The best time to destroy grass
is while the seed are terminating
in the soil and before they make
their appearance above the sur,
face. A days work at the proper
time is worth several days work
later.
Many crops may be grown to
maturity without any cultivation
except that given by a good har-
row or cultivator. As a rule the
double, triple or even the quad
ripple forms are more economical
because n man car manipulate
the extra force of horse power in
stead Of having a man for each
horse. Then there are the sulky
arrangements which make the
labor a great deal easier for the
farmer.
G. R HUDSON,
Special Agent,
Demonstration Farm Work.