The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1913-08-23
Use FOR THE HARROW
important Implement in Prevent
ing Escape Of Moisture.
Tome Authorities Claim When Surface
is Smooth II Does Not Hold Snow
as Well as When Left Rough
n Other Facts.
Bv PROF. THOMAS sHAw.o

Y 1t would seem correct 10 Say tIldt np
implement is so patent TO prevent the
escape OF moisture from the soil as the
harrow The ways in which 1t may De
used TO effect this end are many
These include the narrowing of sum-
mer fallow land, autumn plowed land,
land that is plowed late in the spring
for immediate sowing and land that
has been sown to grain both autumn
and spring.
Summer falowed land should be
first compressed as soon as it Is
plowed 1t is then at once narrowed
when The management is what is
should be. The narrowing makes a
dust mulch. This mulch CT fine earth
dries out to the extent Of one or two
inches. When moisture ascends from
below, as it always does, on the prin-
oiple OF capilarity, it CAM OF pass this
dust mulch But when rain falls in
sufficient quantity it passes down
through this dust mulch to the moist
sell below and destroys its effective
ness In order to again be effective
IL must DS ISHSNSu,t anu III Vi uSA w ~
new it the harrow must be again
used. The best time to use it is as
soon as the harrow can be used on the
soil without the earth adhering to 1t.
If it is not then run over the ground,
the surface soil will contract in dry
ing, with the result that numerous
cracks or assures will appear in it,
and through these the moisture will at
once begin to escape from below. BY
harrCwing at such time the dust
mulch wiz be renewed. Such renew
al must be given after each rain OF
mulch. This ray not call for many
borrowings. as such rains are not very
frequent In dry areas.
| When land is plowed in the autumn
1t should usually be narrowed quite
soon after it is plowed. Some authori-
| ties object to such narrowing. They
say that when the surface is thus
made smooth it does not hold the
SHOW so well as when it is left rough
as the burrows are By the plow. There
| IS some force in the objection. But
when the land is left thus rough it
dries cut mere than Z 4 were impact
ed with he harrow. In the spring the
ridges on the crest OF the burrows dry
out more than would be possible ii the
land we're smoothed and impacted
with the harrow. This is true of those
ridges both fall and spring. 1t would
/ ~ 10;
that there is distinctive advantage
from narrowing autumn-plowed land.
Land that blows may make an excep-
ton to this rule.
When land is plowed late in the
spring for a crop of millet or othe,
crop that should be sown late, it is
! always important that it shall be har
| rowed at once. II is important for the
reason that the moisture escapes very
readily from such land at such a Tina
| So rapidly will it escape, especially
from near the surface. that 1t will
soon become so dry that seed sowr
on it will not terminate, and when il
does net, of course the result is crog
failure, and thaa failure may be sc
| comp, etc as to be total
The harrow may be used With ad
| vantage on crops Sown both in the au
tumn and in the spring in dry areas
| When sown in the autumn good re
cults viii usually follow from running
the harrow over the laad when tlS
grain is just beginning to appear. Tn,
harrow should usually be of the all
Unstable type. That means that /
should lie of type that will admit O
fitting the teeth backward at any
slant thai may be 1cgired VIII he
any subsequent narrowing should b,
given in the autunan VIII depend upo.
the encrustation Of the ground Whe,
the ground does not encr rust the neces
sity for using the harrow secon,
j time is not apparent. The first time /
is used it more or less renews< tn,
GaSt mulch. In the spring it may b;
similarly used on sucn Land with mucl
advantage whom tho crop is firml,
rCCted and OF strong growth Blu
Ehould the crop be delicate, then hal
rowing al such a tine must be don,
MIA mach caution or the lagrcw ma
bury the wheat. The wseder may b
used with more advantase in som
such instances than the harrow
Should the ground he impacted, i
mas be advisable to use the spike
tooth harrow with the teeth straight
In scme Instances the harrow shout
be weighted, and there may be es
IRENE instances in which the disk ma
be used on such crops with adval
tage.