Grand Forks herald., 1917-03-24
classified as sod plows- with long

classified as sod plows- with long
slightly turned mold boards and as
stubble or turning plows. having
shorter and more abruptly turned
mold boards. Many an "old timer"
can boast of turning q furrow with
breaker drawn by oxen, half a mile
long without single break in the
the stubble plow determines very
largely its efficiency in pulverizing
and loosening the soil. The greater
the turn of the mold board, the more
the soil must be bent and hence,
broken or pulverized. The plow with
a steeply turned mold board does
more work, hence will pull heavier
and would not scour or shed as we'll
In heavy mucky or clay soil as a
straighter mold board. The character
of the soil. also the condition as to
wet or dry, must be considered in Sc
lecting the plow.
Plow Deep or Shallow.
The depth to which land should be
plowed also needs careful considera-
ton. A common practice in the prai-
rie regions is to break the sod very
shallow early in the season and then
"back-set" in the late fall. or early
spring. Back-setting is re-plowing an
inch or two deeper than the sod was
broken. This gives plenty Of loose soil
to be narrowed down for a good seed
bed. The land may be broke deeper
five or six inches, and the disc har-
row used to make q seed bed, but
such deep breaking requires much
power in heavy sod. Deep hrst plow-
ing or breaking is adapted to land
having light sod or land from which
timber has been cleared.
A very generally followed practice.
after the first plowing or breaking is
to plow a little deeper at each sue
ceeding plowing until the ordinary
depth Of about six or seven inches is
reached. The WHY Of this question
may only be determined by examin-
ing the soil under consideration. The
soil at the surface has received the
action of the air and other elements
available plant food. especially in
soils that are wet. than does the low
er soil. Hence. plowing wet soil deeply
bring to the surface soil in which
crops would grow very poorly for
some time. Deep plowing should be
done in the summer or fall SO that
the new soil may be exposed to the
elements for as long a time as possi-
BILE before seeding crops on them.
Plow a Little Deeper Each Year.
A very bad practice soted in the
depth year after year. The repeated
plowings tend to pack the soil just
below the furrow slice until moisture
will not enter as promptly as it
should. nor can the roots Of crops
penetrate satisfactorily. Many old
fields that have shown diminishing
yields, especially in localities where
the soil Is deep would be greatly re-
juvenated by occasionally plowing a
dAarar hoS
eight to ten inches. In the sugar beet
districts the depth of plowing is
gradually increased to twelve to four
teen inches for best results In many
instances it would undoubtedly be
much easier and less expensive for
farmers to plow up new farm than
to leave the ono they have simply
one.
What to do After Flowing.
The WHY Of tillage subsequent to
plowing is attended with as many
conditions as the plowing. The imple-
ments used must be selected and op-
Grated with view of securing a max
imum yield of crops with the mini
mum of work. If the land has been
plowed and considerable time previ-
be quite different from what it would
be If the land had only Just been
plowed. Ordinarily fall plowing can
be put in excellent condition in the
spring with the ordinary peg-tooth
harrow. The harrow should be used
just as soon as the soil can be worked
in the spring II it is desirable to re-
tain moisture. If the moisture is liable
to be excessive at seeding time and
there is not an early growth of weeds
to be destroyed the narrowing may be
left until just previous to seeding, an
the rough land dries more rapidly.
which caused air to permeate the soil
and hence, become warmer. Any
growth of weeds or condition of soil
that is not satisfactorily handled with
the peg-tooth harrow should be sub
jected to treatment with the disc har-
row. Corn land or land packed by
snow or rain should be disced "a ear1y
as possible to stop evaporation. The