The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-04-25

culture. Writes Concerning Neces-
sity of Running WeesicFs. HarroHs
etc. at This Season.
Mr.. c. r. Hudson. special agen'
Of the United States Department OF
Agriculture. in charge of the farm
work in North Carolina. has just
mailed the following circular letter
to each of the forty-seven men who
are supervising the work in their re-
spective countless:
Again we beg to call your at
tention to the Importance of Undue
ng farmers TO u weedcrs. harrow
or other forms OF light CultiVators
ntensively and extensively at this
season Of the year. To fail to do SO
is to fail to make the biggest yields
possible at a minimum cost
The first object to be accomplish
ed is to a proper seed bed.
should be disc-harroWed to put it
in a proper mechanical condition.
Land that is Just now being broker
should have some form Of harrow
run over it The same day to pulverize
turfs or clods and to prevent the
evaporation of moisture. We are
sure to need the moisture before the
summer growing period is over. II
left several days the clodS become
hard and a large amount of moist
ure may cap Keeping the soil
loose on top saves the moisture.
Stirring the soil lets the air into it.
TIL S makes plant food available for
the use of growing OIL Plants
Will not grow we'll many days if the
soil is SO compact hat air cannot
enter it. 1t also lets the sun warm
the surface. The air and the sun
are two great purifiers Of the soil.
If land is SO dry that it breaks into
clods a roller should be run over it
to crush them. The harrow should
follow Immediately. otherwise much
IS lost. If planting is not
done at once, run the harroW" once
done, do not wait for the seed to
come up. but run the implements
every eight to twelve days n con-
tinue until the corn or cotton is
several inches high. This dislodges
the weed and grass seeds when they
before they get a hold III the soil.
farmer who uses these impIe-
ments properly never sees grass in
his fields.
whenever a good rain settles or
packs the soil, start with the weeder
just as soon as the soil is dry
enough to hold up a horse. To
wait a single day too long is to get
results from this work. This
is why We see so many farmers
putting rocks or chunks on the har-
or ever riding upon it. They
lost their opportunity by wall
ing too long to do the ork We
not need weights Of any kind If
intelligence is used in the work. For
light, sandy soils, h weede is
heavy enough. For sitter soils the
spike-tooohed or the spring-toothed
Gus kinds Of such implements now
the farm, there is no good reason
why q GARNER cannot procure one
suitable for his condition.
"Weeders and harrows are valu-
able not only for destroying grass
and weeds and keeping a mulch on
the soil, but they are economical.
vate from FIVE to ten or more acres
a day depending upon the width of
the implement used. The fingers
or teeth Of these implements work
in among young plants and destroy
groWths that would later have to
be gotten out by expensive hand
hoeiug. The grass that uSuail gives
most trouble and Is most expensive to
IS that which on es UP with
the corn or cotton seed in the drill.
Now is the time to give close attention
to this i'm portant work. Let US rot
fail in the matter.
In several counties merchants who
sell the above-named implements are
lending them for demonstration puf-
poses. The county agent in charge Of
the demonstration work outs them in
TO a spring-seateG wagon and carries
them along in his rounds among the
When ne finds a farmer who
has never used anything of the kind.
he shows the implements, explains
their use and value, bitches a horse
to 1t and shows the work it VII do.
This method is a practicable way CT
what work ought to be done
the farm just at this season. 1t is
not a method of advertising any single
manufacturers implements, but s
solely for demonstrative purposes
r OF THE SHEEPFOID