Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1909-03-26
TILLAGE AND The
IMPLEMENTS TO USE
Montana Farm . rs Bulleton.


ring the sol! increases it's producing ca
pacity. The art Of tillage has been pr,c.
ticcd for thousands Of years. and the
study of met mods and means of securing
the best results IN soil manipulation has
received Il vast amount Of attention
throughout the period of human history
Nevertheless we find ourselves taking
up the discussion in it's application to
sclni.arid lands with much hesitation
and uncertainty.
The great object Of tillage is to put
the soil in the condition most favorable
to plant growth \ good tiltn inpla. the
proper degree Of openness for the drve
Oplnent of sol! organisms and the move
mcnt of air and moisture. We might
state more particularly that the objects
Of tilage are:
|. To form suitable seed bed
=. To remove organic matter from til
surface.
3. To regulate soil moisture and air.
The seed bed should be favorable to
the termination Of seeds and the hest
subsequent development Of plants The
essentials of termination are Il suitable
degree of moisture. air and heat sur
rounding the vital germ of the plant.
We have already observed in another
connection that too wet or too dry CON
ditiOnS are unfavorahlc. The suii must
he moist but not wet. The temperature
must be considerably above freezing and
below the highest degree at whicl, vege-
tati"n ceases. II is very apparent that
the first and third mentioned objects of
tiliayc are difficult to separate.
\ good seed bed involves further the
right texture of the soil for the easy pen
etration of plant ruotlets. The cohesion
OF soil particles offers resistance alike to
the development of roots and the move
mcntS of air and Of water. The destruc-
tinn OF cohesion producing il fine granu
lar condition Of the soil is favorable to
good filth.
Soils in perfect filth are neither
loose that they fall apart and dry out.
nor 50 close in texture that the grains
appear to he cemented into solid masses.
Temperature of soils is also influ
cnced by tillagr. When the balmy spring
air and warm showers penetrate the sur
face they warm it to Il better degree for
growing crops. Evaporation withlraws
heat and makes the soil cold. Checking
evaporation by an earth mulch ON the
surface prevents undue lowering Of tenn
perature in the production of vapor.
Growing plants require air about their
roots. Very few species thrive with roots
under water. \ mellow soil admitting
the air without destroying the capillary
movements of water is IL favorable seed
bed.
Iilage aims to form Il suitable seed
bed then. by producing the proper texture
OF the soil: and eNertS Il favorable in.
fluenre on soil temperature moisture
and air.
Removing Organic Matter.
There are two parts to this subject.
|. Destroying undesirable plant life.
,. Incorporating dead matter in the
soil
In breaking up there may be wild ma.
tnre or perennial plants. of value in
their place. hut must I've gotten rid Of to
allow the full occupation of the soil by
the desired crop. The first process in til
laye therefore is the destruction Of all
undesirable plant life. This is generally
hest accomplished by blowing. thus bury.
ing the vegetable matter 50 deep that
the plants die. Another benefit comes
from this operation. viz: getting the or
ganic matter out Of the way Of surface
tilluge.
The destruction of weeds by uprooting
and huryin. durin. the growth of The
crop involves other tillage problems, and
methods.
The second part Of the removal Of or
ganir matter. that cf Incorporating it
with the soil. has an important hearing
on fertility in three ways.
First. i improves the texture of the
soil by separating the soil grains. pre-
venting p,sdled condition. No doubt
many soils can he greatly improved in
texture by the addition of vegetable mat
ter. >tubblr. green manure. etc
Second. the addition OF hum,,s to the
soil with is brnefi, to temperature.
Third. the organic acids. produced in
the decomposition of vegetable matter
in;o h'mu,. have ii solvent action on
soil compounds. Mineral salt, used IA
food by the plants are thu, dissolved by
the accomplishing organic matter.
Regulation of Moisture and Air.
The effect Of agr in checking evap-
Grafton ami thus conserving the soil
moisture has been explained in another
connection. 1t has also been shown that
rains and snow. are more completely alb
sorbrI by lands where tie surface has
been broken and stirred. SO far as the
,rmi-arid lands OF Montana are concern
ed the increase i'll the gathcrin. and
holding power is by far the most impor-
tant item Of moisture regulation.
\ moist condition is ais, favorable to
the preparation Of plant food. Bacterial
action takes place in Il moist medium
and the notification preparation of nj
trio acid) due to certain species found
in soils is most rapid under moist con-
dition>. and ceases when the ground dries
out.
The effe., Of rcYulatio OF moisture in
warming the soil has already been noted.
Air Is essential to root growth just as
much rs moisture. The admission Of
air is effected by stirring and pulveriz-
ing the soil. Air must be admitted III
such Il WA, rs not to reduce the wat ~
to" much. \ too loose condition is un.
desirable TIL" hest condition is that of
thorough pulvcrization into very fine
particles with degree of compact ness
admitting Of fire capillary movement of