The Little River news., 1916-03-18
Hi. COIL TiULAGE.

Hi. COIL TILLAGE. E5 De F. Hungerford, Assistant Az fonomi3t. College of Agriculture, University of Arkansas.
 5y constant observation ana eXper- lnentation farmers have learned that certain practices are necessary for the production of high yields
 Preparation Of Good Seed Bed: Among those practices of foremost importance is the preparation of q good seed bed. The little roots Of .. Che young seedlings are too tender to Iorce their way very far into hard ground in search of food. If con- pelled to do so the amount of soil from which they can draw food and moisture is necessarily limited, and consequently the plant is likely to be stunted
 A good seed bed is deep, but no. too loose. Land broken in the fa'l and left ill the furrow over winter ca1 be prepared for seeding by a thorough dlsking followed by a har- TOW, but II cover crop has been grown it should be broken again as early as possible in the spring. This is especially true if the cover crop $ fastured. A roller seldom benefits heavy soils except when a large amount oi organic matter such as ma nure or s green crop has been turned Glder just a short time before seed. ing.
 Storing and Conserving Moisture: fhe water which falls upon the soil n tlle form of rain may be lost by running off from the surface, by evag- oration from the soil, by transpira6ion through the leaves of weeds, or by perca!ation into the lower strata be- low the reach Of plant roots Loss by the first three processes can De materially reduced by proper tillage.
 When the land has been deeply broken the rain enters into 1t readily and is held there, but when the sou is hard and compact most of the Wa ter runs off into the stream channels, where 1t is of no use to crops. Not only is the Water thus lost which might have been used for future use. but the water running off the land washes away the richest part of the soil and causes gullies to form thus rendering tillage operations more dlf- ficult. After a rain the surface sOil soon dries out by the evaporation of the water If the soil is compact, moisture is continually being drawn up from below by carillarity and evaD- orated from the surface. But if the top is stirred, loose earth mulch is formed which breaks up capillarity and reduces the loss.
 Weeds, however cause the greatest loss of moisture from the soil In the growth of one ton of weeds about four hundred tons of water is used, which is equivalent to three and a half inches of rainfall per acre. Weeds also take up the available plant food, thus robbing the crops and reducing the yield.
 Soil Ventilation: A thi1d important benefit oi thorough tillage results
 
 air with the soil Air is needed by the beneficial soil organisms such as the nitrifying bacteria which makes the nitrogen of organic matter avail able, and it promotes the growth of those bacteria which make the nitro gen of the air available to plants.
 Fall vs. Spring Breaking: When time and weather conditions permit it is better to break the ground in the fall. This leaves it in a loose cond- ton ready to absorb the winter and spring rains and prevents washing and gullying Where the land is rolling , the furrows should run crosswise 70 the slope and should not be smoothed with harrow or drag unless afcover crop is grown.
 Deep Breaking and Shallow Cultiva- 1 tion As rule the soils of Arkansas are not broken deep enough to secure the best results. Deep breaking re- quires the use of larger teams, but it pays because q larger amount of 1 plant food is made available, and moro moisture is stored up for use in time of drought. An exception to this rule should be noted, however, in the case of light sandy soils. These are all ready too loose and deep breaking Is injurious. A good average depth for breaking is six to seven inches for clay loams and clays' Very sandy soils should not be broken deeper ataa rom tbrea ta four inches
 @ .a and bas hsaa eli54sea 1 aaep.s, sua 4. cultivation 0l tl4la crops such a cotton, or potatoes $ the bsst IsoW. Deep cuI, iYation des inc feeding roots thus re thaof the plants and ds beneficial