The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-05-14

49,, falls on country that makes
- crops. but rather the amount that
y . can store and save in the soil Tor
the use of the crops.
In the first place the soil should
:, rut in condition to receive all mois-
,ure falling upon it instead of letting
!, RIM off. Deep fall blowing and early
winter plowing is most favorable 10
,ooisture storage In making the seed
he'd II is we'll to remember that no
after cultivation can make amends
Tor poor preparation. Our poorest
farmers are those that pillow the least
and shallowest Again. the depth OF
our farmers is the depth we pillow. II
10 not advisable to do deep blowing at
This time of year for immediate plant
ing unless the soil can be packed BACK
mechanically. Soil that has not been
plowed yet must necessarily De
Moved shallow or else must be put
IN condition with disc harrow or lister
at once.
tn save the moisture in land that
is to be planted in row crops 1t Is ad'
visable to disc the land at once, or
single list it. AS soon as this Is
done the harrow should be used on it
enough to prevent any crusts from
forming and also to keep the weeds
from starting.
At no time should crust be allow
ed to form on the surface of field
that is being prepared for crop or
that has a growing crop on 1t. Evap-
grafton from the soil is going on prac-
tically all the time. During the times
of evaporation, moisture Is constantly
carried from the lower soil to the
surface by what is known as "capil-
larry" movements. This capillary
movement brings the moisture to the
surface like oil through lamp wick,
where it escapes into the air. This
constant drain soon dries out soil
Moisture moves upward readily
through firm soil and slowly
through a loose soil. Thus, by provid.
ing loose surface, or mulch, this
process of evaporation is checked.
q. The mulch acts as blanket or insula-
- ton, saving the moisture below 1t.
We must not get the soil mulch con
fused with the so-called dust
mulch" A fine dust mulch is dan
gerous. In the first place it is liable
to blow, and in the second place
moisture from above does not pass
through it readily. Water will often
flood off dust mulch before 1t will
pass through it. What is wanted in
the way of mulch is to keep loose
surface, but to be careful not to
work it too fine. Small clods mixed
with the surface will prevent blowing;
it holds the moisture below, lets sur
face moisture pass through readily
and answers every requirement.
The shallow one or two-inch mulch
is not deep enough for long, hot, dry
spell, as 1t becomes heated through
too easily and lets the moisture dry
out under 1t. Early in the season
the shallow mulch is all right, bul
later, as the danger of hot, dry
weather comes on, this depth mus
naturally increase, and three ant
four-inch depth should be reached by
this time.
The common peg-tooth harrow II
the best implement for this work, es
pecially II considerable depth Is no
needed. On account of depth disc
harrow is often necessary. A floa
or drag very seldom does much good
AS rule it leaves the mulch too
fine and too shallow.
There is no point on which more
criticism is needed than on the weet
expected when we stop to conside
that on the majority of our farms thu
weeds get more of the moisture thai
the crops. Moisture and humus Il
all that our soils lack to insure gooI
crops ali the time.
We cannot afford to grow weeds t
supply this humus, because they poi
son our soils and take out the pre-
clous" moisture needed by the crops
Moisture is our crop bank account
weeds are the deadly mortgages.
There is no better time to xii
weeds than when they are in tn
terminating stages. If done in time
there is no better implement for tn
work than the common peg tooth har
row.