Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1909-02-27


ry attachments. BY using them all the
trash can be turned under completely.
This not only hastens the decay OF
such matter, but also adds greatly to
the looks of the field. Too many farm
ers do not pay enough attention to
looks. A ragged looking field may
raise just as large a crop as smooth
one, it is true, but the farmer who is
careless in his blowing is likely to be
careless in everything else.
If the blowing is done in the fall 1t
does not matter so much whether it
turns up cloddy or not. The hard
freezes of winter are the best pulver-
izers that ever tore a clod to pieces.
This is one of the advantages Of fall
blowing One of the disadvantages is
that in an open winter the soil is liza
BILE to wash badly. This can be pre-
vented to some extent, however, by
planting a catch crop, such as oats or
millet, on the field after blowing.
The depth of blowing will vary with
the conditions. A light, sandy soil
does not need to be plowed as deeply
as a heavier one. If the ground Is
plowed the same depth every year the
bottom of the furrow will become hard
and the roots will have difficulty in
getting through it readily. A good plan
is to begin at, say four inches, and
plow one-half inch deeper each year
until depth of seven or eight inches
is reached. Then go back to four
inches and begin over again. In this
way a little new soil is turned up
every season and the layer of surface
soil gradually deepened.
Spring blowing should be shallower
than that done In the fall. The soil Is
full of TRY pores, its structure being
much the same as that Of light bread.
If you VIII put one corner of a slice
of bread In a dish of water you VIII
notice that it becomes wet for a con-
siderable distance above the surface
Of the water. This is caused by the
moisture flowing upward through the
little holes in the bread. The force
that causes water to rise in small
tube is called capillarity. 1t is this
capillarity that makes the water rise
from the subsoil up to the surface
where the roots can use 1t. The
smaller the capillary tubes the faster
and higher the water will rise.
When the ground is plowed thes,
capillary tubes are broken up, and thu
rise of water is checked. To start 1
again the soil must be allowed to settl
for long time or else be worked dow
with the disk, harrow or roller. In tn
fall the depth of blowing does not mat
ter since the furrow slice Will have al
winter in which to settle. But Ia tn
spring this capillarity must be restore'
F almost at once or the surface laye
will become so dry that germinatio
and later growth will be checked
Hence the Importance Of shallow pillow
ing. so as to reduce the labor OF disk
ing and narrowing. If the surface Q
the ground is crusted or II there
much trash to be turned under tn
field should be disked before II
plowed. This will provide for laye
Of fine dirt in the bottom Of the ful
row. which Will pack down closet
and help to restore capillarity.
II the furrow turns up shiny c
shows any tendency to bake into cioe
It should be narrowed every half IA
or every day at least. This seems iis
great deal of extra work, but II
harrow is kept in the field 1t does ~
take long to hitch on to II and go oy'
the newly plowed strip Just beroi
quitting for noon or night. fe
minutes spent IN narrowing at sue