The Raymer enterprise., 1910-12-15
USE OF DISK HARROW
Numbered Among Most 'n,por.
tant Of Farm Implements.
Performs Important Service In Con
serving Moisture In Ground to Be
Broken and Preventing II From
Becoming Hard.

serving Moisture In Ground to Be
Broken and Preventing It From
Becoming Hard.
The disk harrow and pulverizer has
long been numbered among the most
valued Of farm implements. 1t is an
Indispensable auxiliary to every farm
er who uses a pillow. but modern
science is fast widening the scope Of
Its activities beyond the reduction oil
the plowed field. writes L. R. johnson
OF Cape Girardeau county, Missouri, in
Farmers Gazette. Invented more than
a generation ago. 1t has remained for
sagacious minds during the last few
years to discover new uses OF great
Importance for Its well known capacity
Us pulverizer One Of these is the
principle that thoroughly to fine the
surface soil in advance of the pillow
Is Of great value to the coming crop
whatever it may be, and the argument
is so simple and convincing that there
can be no dispute.
Under former methods the soil was
set on edge or turned over In rolls
chunks. clods and sods and the raw
rough upper surface. for the depth Of
few inches, rolled. narrowed and
dragged until smooth and fine. This
treatment left field looking beauti
full on the surface but Just below there
was the medley Of chunks. clods and
sods, compressed no doubt to some ex
tent, but still a labyrinth of air cham
bers in crude chaos OF weeds, grass
and uncompacted soil particles. Now
when the grain was sown or planted
on the fine upper stratum 1t would
come up promptly but when the grow
ing roots began to make their way
downward In search OF water ant
food, they found themselves frustrated
by the air spaces which prevented the
necessary contact with the soil par
ticles from which water and food are
derived. They were also checked BY
the lack of moisture which was dried
up by the free circulation OF the all
In these cavities and assures.
Compare this with the condition fol
roots in the soil-bed when the disk pre-
cedes the plow and the surface is vel
pulverized before being turned under
and forms stratum of fine soil that Is
readily compacted by the pressure
from above as well as by the action o.
rains. Another value OF this pre-
liminary disking is Its breaking dowr
and cutting to pieces the weeds ant
trash left by preceding crops. 1t Is
quite common to see farmers turning
under waving masses OF weeds when
blowing for wheat although few Of
them are unaware OF their very lnjuri
GUS action on the coming crop. The
disk would at least chop these up and
thereby reduce materially their ca
pacity for damage.
A more important service and one
but little related to this is the employ.
ment of the disk in conserving mois
ture In the ground to be broken and
preventing 1t from becoming too hard
as often happens in July and August
Heretofore the farmer who on account
Of the press Of other duties entered
late upon the breaking Of wheat land
frequently found 1t so hard that 1t was
only with great suffering to his teams
that the work could be accomplished
and even then with the result that the
field was a mass Of huge clods akin to
boulders. It was either this alterna
tive or the more uncomfortable one OF
waiting for the rain that was to come
the next few days but did not.
Under the new dispensatIon he can
early In the season put boy on the
big disk and while he himself is en-.
gagged with imperative work, the sur.
face Of the field will be cut to pieces
In such manner as effectually to BAT.
fle sun and winds In their attempts
to steal barrel Of water from the un.
foreground reservoir. Then the soil
particles will not solidify into rock.
like masses for horse or mule with
aching shoulders to toll over and
neither will there be forest Of weeds
with each Individual stem acting as a
pump to dissipate the precious water.
There will lie the field, waiting pa.
tiently the coming Of the master with
the pillow, Its pulverized surface pre-.
senting an impenetrable barrier to the
pilferers Of the water It holds In its
depths and ready to be easily trans.
formed from a surface to an under.
ground root.bed, there to facilitate
with Its store of humus and Its com.
pact soil particles the growth Of those
myriads Of foraging white rootlets
upon whose continued energy the for.
tune Of their human master Is de-.