The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-05-10

The cultivation necessary, after
early blowing, to destroy weeds, In my
experience has usually been sufficient
to settle and pulverize the seed bed.
For the early cultivation after a good
rain and after tie weeds have start
ed. there is no implement superior to
the disk harrow; the double disk
which gives two civilizations and
leaves the ground level, being pre-
ferred. For later cultivation the COM
mon harrow or the Acme harrow
should be used with the purpose of
not loosening the ground too deeply
just previous to planting or seeding.
1t is essential that sufficient and
proper cultivation be given to destroy
weeds. This is more important than
to maintain a soil mulch since weeds
exhaust both the soil moisture and the
available plant food. II proper soil
mulch is maintained, however, the
weeds will be kept in subsection. In
the ideal system Of culture the pur-
pose is to keep a mellow soil mulch
on the surface of the land all the time,
not only during the growing Of the
crop, but also in the interval between
harvest and seeding time. Thus, aft
er the corn is planted the land is cul-
tivated with the weeder or harrow in
order to break the surface crust and
prevent the loss of moisture, and fol-
lowing out the same principle the har-
rowing or work with the weeder is
continued after the grain or corn is
up, and during the growing period,
frequent cultivation is required for in
terrified crops.
Again, after the crop is harvested,
TIE cultivation is continued; the land
is plowed at once or listed, or the sur
face of the soil is loosened with the
disk harrow, and thus the land Is kept
continually In condition to not only
prevent the loss of water already
stored in the soil, but also this same
condition and mellow surface favors
the absorption rain and largely pre-,
vents the loss of water by surface
drainage.
The ideal soil mulch is produced by
loosening the surface soil as soon as II
is dry enough to cultivate after the
rain. The mulch should be mellow
and granular, not pulverent and dusty.
Avoid producing dust" mulch which
results from narrowing very dry soil;
such soil Is likely to blow. Also, the
srcooth. finely pulverized surface left
by continuous light narrowing really
defeats the purpose of the cultivation.
since soil in such condition will shed
heavy rains, causing waste of water
which should have been stored In the
soil. AMI the surface often becomes too
fine and compact, preventing the prop
c. aeration of the soil, and producing
an unfavorable seed bed condition.
Thus during the interval between
crops, it Is often advisable to use the
Acme harrow or the disk, or spring
tooth harrow, in order to keep the sur
face Of the soil open and mellow.
Disking and Listing Versus Flowing.
A new method for preparing the
seed bed is now coming into general
practice ir western Kansas. In pre-
pairing land for wheat, tho plan is to
list the ground with the ordinary corn
lister as soon after harvest as possible.
The lister burrows are run about three
to three and a half feet apart, very
much the same as when the lister is
used for planting corn. Later. when
the. weeds have started, the soil Is
worked back into the lister burrows by
means of a harrow or disk cultivator.
Several civilizations are usually re-
quired by the harrow and disk harrow
IL order to level the field and bring
it into good seed bed condition. Once
over with the disk cultivator is suf-
ficient, the further work necessary to
prepare the seed bed being given with
the common harrow.