Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-04-25
The Art Of Flowing.

| IL 10 not pleasant 10 . man Wno M
jbeen 4 farmer for 50 years, or even less,
70 be told thA. be does not know bow
to plow, and any atiemp; al teaching
him will, in many cases excite his re-
sentiment. However, there are vhoie
sections Of our country where pioving is
not only slovealy, bu; very uusysse'
naticAlly done. ] shall only refer 10
the skinning habits OF many where,
perhaps, foa. inches would represent the
depth plowe6, bu; wish 10 call aiten-
tiop TO the injudicioas manner in which
lands are often laid Oh and ploued.
No one can give plausible reason fo'
6lling field with dead fnrrows, which
produce comparatively little or nothing,
besides beng . source OF annoyance
when crossing them with harvesting ma
chioery. Il may be thai on lat, vet
land, By plowing narrow strips, the dead
fu-rows will help somewhat IN collect
ing and holding the surface water. Bui
sact lands are usually losing invest
nent and should be reclaimed as soon
as possible BY undertaking. On high
dry lsad, however. such ploving reflects
discredit on the plownan. Recently l
saw 3 ra-row strip Of land, perfectly uni-
form in width, blt no; more than ten
rods vide, ploved in three lands. and IN
this same section such ploving IS the
rule. They plov as near the fence at
the END Of the field as the length OF the
plow and team will permit, and then
cross The end -ithou, plowing, until the
strip is as vide a. they wish, and then
As they can plow but one way, they
drive back each time over the plowed
ground until the head lands are finished.
This is repeated until the 6eld is plov-
81, and there are as many dead 'urroWs
a. there are strips plowed.
Now all this is wrong in principle,
loss OF tine, and the work is badly done
Assuming ,ha. the field is oblong, be-
ginning a; one side near the end, pace
ACROSS the fed, then pace back ons-hat
the cis:aoce, and you will be at the mid
die Of the field runnins iengthwise. II
your field is eo0 PAGES wide, you will
have just 100 PAGES 20 the center. Make
. mark here. Now 60 70 the end oppo-
site yoa, mark sod pace inward 81
PAGES, keeping exactly on line with
yolr mark. Al this intersection place
yoar mark. Now 70 10 the other eod OF
The field and 60 the same, setting stake
q, the intersection ths. can be seen from
yoar frs, mark Star, your plov eI.
sc,ly q. you- frs, intersection, mark aoo
plow line straight 70 your stake, oui
DOT beyond it. Turn and plov back.
throwing The two turrows together, snc
repeat until your plowed land is just SIX
PAGES vide.
% 70 this tine You mus, not plov
across the end. 4. soon as you have
the SIX PAGES ploved, you will have BAL
aocei the three PAGES you were short ss
the ends, and will now be eQuidissan'
from The SIDES and ends Of your rsld.
Now begin 20 plow across your ends.
and eoosinus 20 plow around until your
entire field is plowsi. Your land vii!
81 De thrown in and not dead turrow
in the isl6.
Ano,hs, mistake lies in hsbitually
ploving around q fed. In doing this,
yo1 are no; only tramping your piowed
laod .; The corners and more or less in
iuring il, brt BY throwing ont the sol!
each way, you are making dead burrows
from the corners, 20 near the center OF
The fsld. Where there is even . slight
inclination, vSss. will follow these fur
rows sr6 more or less erosion will occor.
The best way 10 remedy this Is 70 begin
il the middle as have described,
taroxing the soil in. Dead turcovs are
bss, filed By the plank drag, well
weighted and I'm crossvise Of ;hs fur
-ovs.-B. ?. Mack il Counsr! Gentle
usc.