The Raymer enterprise., 1913-07-17
USE FOR THE HARROW
Important Implement in Prevent
ing Escape Of Moisture.
Some Authorities Claim When Surface
1, Smooth It Does Not Hold Snow
as WelI az When Left Rough
Other Facts.
NV PROF. THOMAS sHAw)

It would seem correct to say that no
implement Is 80 patent to prevent the
escape OF moisture from the soil as the
harrow. The ways in which 1t may be
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 fallowed land should be
frst compressed as soon as 1t Is
plowed. 1t Ia then at once narrowed
when the management Is what IL
should be. Tho narrowing makes a
dust mulch. This mulch Of fine earth
dries out to the extent Of one or two
inches. When moisture ascends from
below. as 1t always does. on the prin.
ciple Of capilarity. 1t cannot pass this
dust mulch. But when rain falls In
suficient quantity 1t passes down
through this dust mulch to the moist
soil below and destroys Its effective
ness. In order to again be effective
It must be renewed. and in order to re.
new 1t tho harrow must be again
used. The best time to use 1t Is al
soon as the harrow can be used on the
soil without the earth adherng to 1t.
II 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 1t.
and through these the moisture will at
once begin to escape from below. BY
narrowing at such time the dust
mulch will be renewed. Such renew
al must be given after each rain Of
suhicient volume to destroy the dust
mulch. This may not call for many
harrowings, as such rains are not very
frequent In dry areas.
When land is plowed In the autumn
It should usually be narrowed quite
soon after 1t is plowed. Some authori.
ties object to such narrowing. They
say that when the surface Is thus
made smooth 1t does not hold the
snow so well as when 1t 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 II
dries out more than II 1t were impact
ed with the harrow. In the spring the
ridges on the crest Of the furrows 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. It would
seem reasonable to claim. therefore
that there is distinctive advantage
from narrowing autumn.plowed land
Land that blows may make an exoep
ton to this rule.
When land is plowed late in the
spring for crop Of millet or othel
crop that should be aown late. 1t II
always important that It shall be har
rowed at once. It Is important for thu
reason that the moisture escapes yer!
readily from such land at such q time
So rapidly will 1t escape. espsciall!
from near the surface. that 1t viii
soon become so dry that seed sowl
on 1t will not germinate and when 1
does not. Of course the result is crol
failure. and thaa failure may be q
complete as to be total.
The harrow may be used with I'D
vantage on crops sown both In the au
tumn and in the spring In dry areas
When sown In the autumn good re
suits will usually follow from running
the harrow over the land when tn,
grain Is Just beginning to appear. Tn,
harrow should usually be Of the ad
Unstable type. That means that 1
should be OF type that will admit O
fitting the teeth backward at an!
slant that may be desired. Whethe
any subsequent narrowing should b,
given In the autumn will depend upol
the encrustation Of tho ground. Whel
the ground does not encrust the neces
sity for using the harrow a secon,
time is not apparent. The first time 1
u used It moro or less renews tn,
dust mulch. In the spring It may b,
similarly used on such land with mucl
advantage when the crop IL nrml,
rooted and Of strong growth. Blu
should the crop bs delicate. then har
rowing at such time must bs don,
With much caution or the harrow ma,
bury the wheat. The wssdsr may b.
used with moro advantage In som
such instances than the harrow
Should the ground bs impacted,
may be advisable to use the spike
tooth harrow with the teeth straight
In some instances the harrow shout
bs weighted. and there may be q
trems instances In which the disk ma,
be used on such crops With advau
NSs.