The Elbert County tribune., 1913-01-17
DISK HAS IMPORTANT PLACE
When Land 10 Broken In Spring I'm.
Plement Should Be Used Rather
Than PIowed for Crop.
ny pRoF. rHoMAs sHAwl

CBy PROF. THOMAS sHAwJ
The disk has more important
place in dry than in other areas. II
may be used betimes in preparing
land for sowing in the absence of the
plow. 1t has a place on the summed
failow. 1t also has a place on stubblt
land, sometimes In the autumn anl
sometimes in the spring.
When land is broken In the spring
In growing areas, the land should be
disked rather than plowed for the
next crop. The reasons for this are
hrst. that the sod buried by the first
plowing will more effectually decay
when 1t is allowed to lie two years
buried than when allowed to lie but
one. Second. that the sods are thus
kept out OF the way of the cultivabls
processes that follow. particularly Of
the harrows until they have reason
ably well decayed. Third. on blow
land disking does not completely bury
the stubbles. and this is a decided ad-
vantage in holding soils that might
otherwise blow through the action of
the wind. The stubbles thus left In
corporated with the surface soil tend
30 far to prevent blowing. The seed
bed Is left firm below and In very
dry year such condition Is favorable
to the retention OF plant growth. and.
therefore, is so far favorable to the
retention of moisture. 1t would prob
ably be more accurate to say that be-
cause the process is more favorable to
the retention Of moisture. 1t Is also
more favorable to successful plant
growth.
On the summer fallow the disk may
have a place betimes as well as the
harrow. First, it may have a place
when weeds become so rooted that the
harrow cannot dislodge them, and. sec
ohd 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 will 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, 1t Is neces-
sary to use the disk. and in many in
oehhCtb tiS uibh Will IOl PiON0 buih
ciently effective. 1t is necessary to use
some kind of an instrument that will
cut off the weeds below the surface Of
the ground. The best implement for
this purpose has yet to be invented.
notwithstanding the disk on summer
fallow 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 1t is 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 a mulch SO fine that
the rains which come in the form OF a
dash do not penetrate it. They run
away over the surface. This may in a
large measure be prevented by disk
ing the summer fallow land first one
way and then another. The cisking
Is single rather than double. 1t
creates an innumerable number Of lit.
tie pockets or basins which catch the
rain of the downpour, or much OF 1t.
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
bles in dry areas is an important one
AS soon as the crop has been removed
much good may result from the disk
ing of the land under many conditions
T. vxIa
pacted surface soil, SO that the rains
may enter It when they fall later. In
the second place 1t destroys weed
growth that would otherwise produce
seeds, and in the third place 1t makes
the blowing OF the land subsequently
much easier than 1t would otherwise
be. It would not be correct to say that
In all instances the disking of the
land after harvest is helpful. but II
is helpful in many instances. 1t II
not greatly helpful when there Is vir
tually no moisture in the soil after
harvest, and when none fall later
which sometimes happens. But 1t II
greatly helpful In destroying weedi
when these are growing numerously
in the soil. 1t prevents many of them
from seeding and It destroys many oi
them outright The effect which 1t has
upon the easy blowing 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 II
may be disked. The stubbles that are
mixed with the surface soil will so fal
prevent the land from blowing. The
use OF the disk, however. has often
times been abused by using 1t wher
preparing the land for sowing. wher
the plow should be used instead.