Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1912-12-06
DISK HAS IMPORTANT PLACE
When Land 10 Broken in Spring I'm.
pIernent Should Be Used Rather
Than Plowed for Crop.
cBy PROF. THOMAS sHAw.3

place IN dry tnan IN other areas. 1t
may be used betimes in preparing
land for sowing in the absence of the
pillow. 1t has a place on the summer
fallow. 1t also has a place on stubble
land, sometimes in the autumn and
sometimes in the spring.
When land is broken in the spring
in growing areas, the land should be
disked rather than plowed for the
next crop. The reasons for this are
first, that the soc buried by the first
blowing will more effectually decay
when it is allowed to lie two years
buried than when allowed to lie but
one. Second, that the sods are thus
kept out of the way of the cultivable
processes that follow, particularly of
the harrows until they have reason
ably we'll decayed. Third. on blow
land disking does not completely bury
the stubbles, and this is a decided ad-
vantage in holding soils that might
otherwise blow through the action of
the wind. The stubbles thus left in
co%rporated with the surface soil tend
so far to prevent blowing. The seed
U6u 10 lSII DtiOW anu III q very
dry year such a condition is favorable
to the retention of plant growth. and.
therefore, is SO far favorable to the
retention of moisture. 1t would prob
ably be more accurate to say that be-
cause the process is more favorable to
the retention of moisture, it is also
more favorable to successful plant
growth.
On the summer fallow the disk may
have a place betimes as we'll as the
harrow. First, it may have a place
when weeds become SO rooted that the
harrow cannot dislodge them, and. sec
ond, in areas where the rains are tor
rental in the manner in which they
fall in the summer season. Weeds fire.
quently become SO deeply rooted that
the harrow will not dislodge them on
summer fallowed land. This is es-
p~ecially true of wild oats. and of near
~ all perennials. 1t is also true of GER
tain of the volunteer grains in western
areas. To dislodge these, it is neces-
sary TO use the disk, and in many in
stances the disk will not prove sufi-
GENTLY effective. 1t is necessary to use
some kind of an instrument that will
cut off the weeds below the surface of
the ground. The best implement for
this purpose has yet to be invented,
Notwithstanding the disk on summer
fallow land will destroy many weeds
that cannot be destroyed with the har-
row.
Again, where the rain is much liable
to be torrential in character, that is,
when it is niue. liable to come in the
form of downpours, the disk may be
used with much more advantage thar
the harrow. The harrow when persist
emily used makes a mulch so f1ne1that
the rains which come in the form of a
dash do not penetrate it, They run
away over the surface. This may in a
large measure be prevented by disk.
ing the summer fallow land first one
way and then another. The disking
Is single rather than double. 1t
creates an innumerable number of lit.
tie pockets or basins which catch the
rain of the downpour, or much OF IT.
and holds it until it sinks into the
soil. No more effective way can be
devised of arresting these downpours
when they occur than by the handling
of the land as indicated.
The place for the disking of stub
bles in dry areas is an important one.
AS Don as the crop has been removed
much good may result from the disk
ing of the land under many conditions.
In the first place it opens up the com
pacted surface soil, so that the rains
may enter it when they fall later. In
the second place it destroys weed
growth that would otherwise produce
seeds. and in the third place it makes
the blowing of the land subsequently
much easier than it would otherwise
be. 1t would not be correct to say that
in all instances the disking of the
land after harvest is helpful. but it
is helpful in many instances. 1t is
not greatly helpful when there is vir-
tually no moisture in the soil after
harvest, and when none fall later,
which sometimes happens. Blu it is
greatly helpful in destroying weeds
when these are growing numerously
in the soil. 1t prevents many of them
from seeding and it destroys many OF
them outright. The effect which it has
upon the easy blowing of the land sub
seQuently is very marked.
When soils blow, 1t is usually bet
ter neither to pillow or to disk the
land in the autumn. In the spring it
may be disked. The stubbles that are
mixed with the surface soil will SO far
prevent the land from blowing. The
use OF the disk, however. has often
times been abused by using it when
preparing the land for sowing. when
the pillow should be used instead.