The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-02-14
USE OF DISK HARROW
Numbered Among Most lmpor-
tant of Farm implements.
Performs important Service In Con-
serving Moisture in Ground to Be
Broken and Preventing 1t 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
It's activities beyond the reduction OF |
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 it's well known capacity
as a pulverizer. One of these is the
principle that thoroughly to fine the
surface soil in advance of the pillow
Ia of great value to the coming crop,
whatever it may be, and the argument
is 30 simple and convincing that there
cap 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
a 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 labyrinth of air cham
bers in a crude chaos OF weeds, grass
and uncompacted soil particles. Now
when the grain was sown or planted
on the fine upper stratum it would
come up promptly but when the grow
ing roots began to make their way
downward in search Of water and
food they found themselves frustrated
| by the air spaces which prevented the
necessary contact with the soil par
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 pillow and the surface is vel
q pulverized before being turned unde
; and forms a stratum of fine soil that i
q readily compacted by the pressur
from above as we'll as by the action O
q rains Another value of this pre-
g liminary disking is its breaking dow
= and cutting to pieces the weeds an
& trash left by preceding crops. 1t
quite common to see farmers turnin
u under waving masses of weeds whe
blowing for wheat although few {
them are unaware of their very injur
GUS action on the coming crop. tn
II disk would at least chop these up an
s. thereby reduce materially their c;
y pacity for damage.
10 A more important service and on
- but little related to this is the emplo
IN ment of the disk in conserving moi
Ae ture in the ground to be broken ar
- preventing it from becoming too har
" as often happens in July and Angus
'' Heretofore the farmer who on accoul
of the press of other duties enters
:" late upon the breaking of wheat Ian
As frequently found it so hard that it W;
only with great suffering to his team
ns that the work could be accomplishe
IN and even then with the result that Il
~ field was a mass of huge clods akin
- boulders. 1t was either this altern
~ tive or the more uncomfortable one
, , waiting for the rain that was to cor
- the next few days but did not.
~ Under the new dispensation he C
:. early in the season put boy on t
oo' big disk and while he himself is {
gagged with imperative work, the s.
face of the field will be cut to pieo
. In such a manner as effectually to b
fe sun and winds in their atteml
to steal barrel of water from the !
derground reservoir. Then the S
particles will not solidify into TO
like masses for horse or mule "
aching shoulders to toll over a
neither will there be forest of wee
with each individual stem acting a.
pump to dissipate the precious wat
There will lie the field. waiting
tiently the coming of the master W
the plow. its pulverized surface 7
senting an impenetrable barrier to
pilferers of the water it holds In
DEPTHS and ready to be easily ira
formed from surface to an unc
ground root-bed, there to facillt
with its store of humus and its c.
pact soil particles the growth of tn
mvriads of foraging white root
upon whose continued energy the
tune Of their human master Is
pendent.