The Ordway new era., 1912-04-05
PLOWS ON DRY FARMS
Disk Found to Be Preferable to
the MoIdboard.
Implement is Frequently Used for
Flowing Stubble Fields and OLD
Land GeneralIy-Deep Tilling
Machine Introduced.

In humid areas about the only kind
OF plow that Is extensively used ID
the moldboard. but in dry areas that
does not hold good. The disk plow
has q place in these and the same is
true OF the deep-tilling machine. the
moldboard piow Is SO we'll known and
also its specific uses. that they need
not be dwelt upon at this time.
The disk plow consists OF one or
more large disks set ut an angle that
will turn over the furrow slice. but
less perfectly than the moldbOard
plow. 1t has been found' preferable
to the moldboard plow when under
the following conditions: Q) In
heavy clay soils that are hard to plow
and that are more or less liable to be-
come sticky. (2) In plowing land
baked SO hard with the sun that It Is
difficult to keep the moldboard plow
in the soil. (3) In the first plowing
Of sage brush land when the brush
Is strong. (D In plowing stony land
which could not be plowed with the
moldboard plow without much dlh'
Guilty. The disk plow Is frequently
used when plowing stubble land and
old land generally. 1t Is lighter OF
draft than the moldboard plow. II
does not bury grass or weeds SO com.
pletely as the latter.
The deeptilling machine is plow
with two disks. The one in front
cuts down to a certain depth and
turns the soil. The one In the rear
cuts down more deeply and turns
from a lower stratum. invertins 1t.
In part ut least. above the furrow
slice first inverted. Among the ad.
vantages Of this plow are the follow.
ing: Q 1t Is light Of draft rela-
lively In proportion to tho depth to
which 1t will plow. (2) 1t may be
used In plowing ground when 1t Is SO
dry that 1t could not be plowed with
the moldboard plow. t3) 1t makes It
possible to plow the soil to any rea.
sonable depth. (D It aids material
ly in pulverizing the soil which 1t
plows.
The deeptillIng machine Is Of too
recent Introduction to Justify saying
very much NJ to the exact place that
It will flll In the tillage OF dry
areas. This much Is certain. that 1t
will flll an important place. The fact
that 1t will enable the farmer to go
down deeply into the soil without too
great an expenditure OF power Ii q
great consideration. rs deep plowing
In dry areas Is generally all.import.
ant. But tho ability to plow deeply
even In dry areas brings along with
It the temptation to deepen the area
that Is cultivated at too rapid a rate.
Deep plowing should be cautiously
done. In some instances It does not
matter much how deeply the plow Ia
sent down. even at first. In other In.
stances. to so down into the soil and
bring much unreduced earth up to
the surface would greatly hinder
growth. This plow renders excellent
service in killing quack grass. II
buries It SO deeply that II has but
small chance Of coming up again. pro.
viding m occasional disking follows.
The only check on such deep plowins
when killing quack Is the effect that
raw soil brought UP from below may
have upon production. In humid
areas. where Quack grass grows best.
this machine ought to have a wide
use for this purpose alone.