The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-12-14
DISK HAS IMPORTANT PLACE
When Land Is Broken In Spring Inn
element Should Be Used Rather
Than Piowec for Crop
By PROF THOMAS SHAW

The disk has a more important
place in dry than in other areas. II
nay b. G. ~~times in preparing
land fer Sc ne absence Of the
pillow Il Ezs 2 place on the summer
faIIo~- Ii also has a place on stuboie
land. sometimes in the autumn ana
sometimes in the spring
When land il broken in the spring
IN growing areas, the land should De
disked rather than plowed for the
next crop. The reasons for this are
first. thar the sod buried by the first
blowing will more enectually decay
when il il allowed TO lie two years
buried than when allowed TO lie but
oae- Second, that the sods are thus
kept out Of the way of the cultivabie
processes that follow, particularly OF
the harrows until they have reason
ably well decayed Third. on blow
land disking does not completely bury
the stubbIes, and this is decided adj
vantage in holding soils that might
otherwise blow through the action OF
the wind The stubbles thus left in
corpcrated with the surface soil tend
so far to prevent blowing The seed
bed il left firm below and in very
dry year such a condition is favorabls
70 the retention Of plant growth, and.
therefore. is so far favorable TO th7
retention Of moisture IL would prob
ably be more accurate to say that be-
cause the process is more favorable to
he rf &c
more favorable TO successful plant
growth
On the summer faIIov the disk may
/ have a place betimes as well as the
! harrow First, il may have a place
when weeds become go 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 viii not dislodge them on
summer fallowed land This is es-
pecially true Of wild oats, and of near.
ly 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 sufh-
GENTLY effective. Ii is necessary to use
some kind of an instrument that will
cut on the weeds below the surface Of
the ground The best implement for
this purpose has yet TO be invented,
notwithstanding the disk on summer
fallov 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 il IL much liable TO come in the
form Of downpours, the disk may be
used with much more advantage than
the harrow. The harrow when persist
emily used makes mulch so fine that
the rains which come in the form of
dash do not penetrate it They run
away over the surface. This may in
large measure be prevented by disk
Ing the summer fallo~ land first one
way and then another The disking
Is single rather than double. It
| creates an innumerable number of lit
/ tie pockets or basins which catch the
I rain of the downpour, or much Of II.
and holds it until 1t 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
oles in dry areas Is an important one
I As soon as the crop has been removed
I much good may result from the disk
I Ing ot the land under many conditions
+ In the first place it opens up the COM
pacted surface soil. so that the rains
I may enter 1t when they fall later. In
I the second place It destroys weed
k growth that would otherwise produce
I seeds. and in the third place 1t makes
/ the blowing OF the land subsequently
1 much easier than I, would otherwise
be- Ii would not be correct to say that
Ia 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
I harvest. and when none fall later,
I 4lCA A6RpSHc- but IL 10
greatly helpful in destroying weeds
when these are growing numerously
IN the soil II prevents many of them
from seeding and 1t destroys many of
them outright The effect which it has
upon the easy Flowing Of the land sub
sequently Is very marked.
When soils blow. 1t is usually bet
ter neither TO plow 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 1t when
preparing the land for sowing. when
the pillow should be used instead
Alfalfa Commandment.