East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-09-11

ing land which has been less nten-
sively farmed, unless crop rotation
and manuring to maintain soil fer
tility are practiced along with thor
ough culture.
The greatest problem in western
culture today is not how to get larger
crops out Of the soil for few years,
but rather how to produce paying
crops every year and at the same
time maintain the fertility and pro-
ductiveness Of the land.
Implements and Methods.
1t Is not necessary to have extra
machinery in order to successfully
practice the system of culture out
lined above. The only implement re-
quired or recommended which is not
in general use on every well-equip-
ped farm, is the subsurface packer.
The use of the packer is most es.
sential on late spring plowing when
the purpose is to plant at once after
piowing. 1t is not so Unnecessary to
use the subsurface packer on fall
plowing which is not intended to be
planted until the following spring,
but for sowing fall wheat, If the
plowing precedes the sowing by very
short interval, the subsurface packer
may be used very advantageously.
When land is allowed to lie for a
considerable period after plowing be-
fore the crop is planted. the settling
Of the soil, together with the cement
ing due to rain, usually causes the
soil TO repack and firm-up 10 a suf-
ficient extent TO make a good seed
bed
The subsurface packer is a hard
running machine and It costs much
more to use It than IT does to use the
common harrow or even the disk
harrow. Thus at the Kansas expert
ment station we have adopted the
practice OF early plowing whenever
1t can be done, in preference TO sub
surface packing, using the harrow
Immediately after blowing.
However. the principle involved IN
the use of the subsurface packer is
correct, and the lighter the soil and
the greater its tendency to remain
loose and mellow the more necessary
becomes the use of the subsurface
packer or similar implement, in order
to prepare proper seedBed.
Also. in plowing under trash or ma
rure, subsurface packing. by pulver-
izing the bottom of the furrow-slice,
Sits the soil through the coarse trash
and causes a better union with the
subsoil below, so that the capillary
water may be drawn up into the sur
face soil, whereas, If heavy coat Of
stubble or manure plowed under In |
this way is left without packing or
the furrow-slice is apt to |
dry out and the crop that is growing |
on the land may be injured by |
short interval of dry weather
BY setting the disks rather straight |
and weighting the harrow, disk
harrow may be used as a substitute |
for the subsurface packer, resulting |
in a pulverizing and firming effect at
the bottom of the furrow slice.
Very often, however, good plowing, |
with the proper use of the common |
harrow. may largely accomplish the !!
results required in preparing a prop
err seed-bed.
1t Is usually advisable to weight or |
ride the common straight-tooth har-
row in order to cause 1t to stir and |
pulverize the soil deeper and prevent
the sticking" effect which is apt to
result from light narrowing.
Deep Plowing.
Some types of soil can be plowed
deeper than others, and the writer
believes in deep plowing, at least
every four years The deeper loos-
ening of the soil not only makes
large reservoir to catch the rain, but
It gives more room in which the soil
bacteria may develop and prepare the
1t is known that certain bacteria
in the soil have much to do with the
of the food for plants,
and experiments have shown that
these bacteria are found largely in