The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-09-26
USE FOR THE HARROW
important implement In Prevent
ing Escape of Moisture.
Some Authorities Claim When surfaes
IL Smooth II Does Not Hold Snow
a. Well as When Left Rough
Other Facts.
CBy PROF. THOMAS sHAw)

(By PROF. THOMAS SHAW)
It would seem correct to say that no
implement is so 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
FIRST compressed as soon a. 1t 10
plowed. It Is then at once narrowed
when the management is what ID
should be. The narrowing makes q
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, it cannot pass this
dust mulch. But when rain falls In
sufficient quantity it 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 it the harrow must be again
used. The best time to use 1t Is as
soon as the harrow can be usedson the
soil without the earth adhering to 1t.
II 1t 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 ut
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
sufficient 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
1t should usually be narrowed quite
soon after 1t is plowed. Some authort-
ties object to such narrowing. They
say that when the surface Is thus
made smooth 1t does not hold the
snow 80 we'll al when 1t Is left rough.
as the burrows are by the pillow. 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 burrows dry
out more than would be possible II the
land we're smoothed and impacted
with the harrow. This 10 true Of those
ridges both fall and spring. 1t would
seem reasonable to claim, therefore.
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 crop of millet or other
crop that should be sown late, It 10.
always important that 1t shall be har-
rowed at once. It is important for the
reason that the moisture escapes very
readily from such land at such time.
So rapidly will it escape, especially
from near the surface, that 1t will
soon become so dry that seed sown
on it will not terminate, and when II
does not, of course the result is crop
failure, and thaa failure may be 90.
complete 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.
suits will usually follow from running
the harrow over the land when the
grain is just beginning to appear. The
harrow should usually be of the ad-
Unstable type. That means that II
should be Of type that will admit of
fitting the teeth backward at any
slant that may be desired. Whether
any subsequent narrowing should be
given in the autumn will depend upon
the encrustation of the ground. When
the ground does not encrust the neces-
sity for using the harrow a second
time is not apparent. The first time 1t
Is used 1t more or less renews the
dust mulch. In the spring 1t may be
similarly used on such land with much
advantage when the crop is firmly
rooted and Of strong growth. But
should the crop be delicate, then har-
rowing at such time must be done
with much caution or the harrow may
bury the wheat. The weeder may be
used with more advantage in some
such instances than the harrow.
Should the ground be impacted, 1t
may be advisable to use the spike
tooth harrow with the teeth straight.
In some instances the harrow should
be weighted, and there may be ex-
trema instances in which the disk may