The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-10-04
PlOW DEEP.

he following article by l)r. II.
II Stoner, superintendent of tnr
farmers Institutes, is one of the
best along agricultural lines which
has come TO the attention OF The
News, and every farmer will pro,
fit by reading 1t:
no matter whether it be fall or
spring plowlng early or late,
the land should be plowed deep
". There are several reasons
why this should be done In the
first place the soil is the home OF
the roots of the plants. Upon the
development of the root system OF
plant depends its power to produce
a crop. The plant food and the
water which plants must Lave are
obtained wholly from the soil. II
good root system is developed
the plant is then in condition to
appropriate to It's use these two
prerequisites of crop production.
The roots of plants III their search
for plant food and for water, must
force their way between the grains
ana it is evident to anyone after a
moments thought that it is easier
for the root Of a plant to force It's
way through the moist grains
of a soil that is loose and mellow
than it would be to force its
way between soil grains that had
been closely packed.
In the second place most Of the
available plant foods which the
soil contains are found in the land
that is turned over by the plow.
One of the essential plant foods,
nitrogen, becomes available for the
use of plants only after it has been
exposed to the warming influence
of the sun and air. The roots of
plants obtain very little nitrogen
below the depth at which the land
Is plowed. Crops in the Dakotas
suffer iGOre often from lack of
nitrogen than from any of the
other plant foods. The supply of
available nitrogen can therefore be
largely increased by exposing a
large volume of soil to the sun
and the air by deep plowing.
In the next place crop produc-
ton in the northwestern country
depends more often upon the
content Of the soil than
any other one factor. Especially
IN the western half of the Dakotas
drought causes more loss than all
other agents combined. If the
land is plowed deeply, so that the
rains, when they come, may go
down into the soil instead of run
ming off into the creeks ane gullies
much can be done to forestall the
effects of dry weather The soil
that has been talked about so much
Of late will do no good. if there is
no moisture in the soil. The first
thug necessary in conserving
moisture is to get the water down
into the soil, and the only way this
can be done, under our limited
is to open up the soil with
The plow so that it will readily alb
sorb the water and the next step is
to spread a blanket of dry pulver-
zed soil on top of it to keep it
there.
The reprehen sible practice of
in small grain where small
grain was grown the year before
should be stopped right now.
There is not an agricultural state
in the Union that can stand up
under that method of farming and
the sooner we quit it the sooner
will the state of South Dakota
come into her own as an agricul-
tural state.
"Plow deep in order to provide
good environment for the roots of
plants, plow in order to release the
plant foods of the soil, plow deep
in order to conserve the moisture
that falls upon the land.,'