The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-07-16
FLOWING With
TRACTOR HAS. !
new PROBLEMS
FOR SOLUTION
Government Bulletin shows the
Necessity of Laying Out
Fields
MUCH TIME WASTED
IN TURNING PLOWS
Land Should Be Measured, Is
Asserted By Government
Bulletin.
MUCH TIME WASTED
IN TURNING PLOWS

Washington, July 16.-PlOWlng
with tractors presents some prob
lens that never bother the man who
uses horsedrawn implements. 1t is
necessary to lay out fields, so that
a high-class job of plowing can be
done over the entire area with the
minimum use of horsedrawn plow
in starting and finishing the wark,
says Farmers Bulletin 1045, recently
published by the United States de-
partment of agriculture, which gives
in detail some of the best methods
for laying out land and plowing with
tractors.
The methods in general use are
divided into two classes in the bulle-
tin-those in which the plows are
elevated and no plowing is done
across the ends and those in which
the plows are left in the ground con-
tinuously. In most cases better
plowing can be done when the plows
are idle across the ends of the field.
and for this reason the methods of
this class are more popular, but many
farmers prefer the other methods, as
they eliminate waste of time and la
Dor.
snort IuTnS AWKWARD.
Plowmen using tractors wish to
reduce to minimum the time spent
in running and in turning with
plows out of the ground, the Bulle-
tin goes on. While 1t is necessary
to do some travelling while the plows
are idle, care should be taken not to
do too much of it as it reduces the
number of acres which can be plow-
ed in a day, mailing the tractor that
much less efficient. Short turns,
however, are awkward for most
tractors. and where such turns are
necessary the operator often has
more or less difficulty in getting the
outfit in the correct position for
starting into the new furrow at the
right point. Some tractors turn
more easily in one direction than
others, and this should be taken into
consideration in laying out the fields.
The advantages of >plowing by the
methods in which the plows are idle
across the ends of the field are that
the short, awkward turns are elm
mated, except in some cases at the
beginnings and ends of the lands. and
usually less space will be left at the
corners to be plowed with horses
The advantages of the other methods
are that little or no time is lost in
travelling with the plows out of the
ground and that ordinarily the num-
ber of dead burrows and back burrows
will be considerably less.
Measuring Land Accurately.
In using the f1rst-named methods
it is necessary to measure the lands
in the center of the field accurately,
leaving an equal area on all sides
of the field in which to turn the out
fit, and which can be plowed last by
running the tractor completely
around the field several times If
one end of the field is unfenced the
outfit can be pulled out into a road
or lane, or an adjoining field, for
turning 1t may be preferable to
pfow up to the fence on the two sides
as the body of the field is being
plowed. and leave the headland only
across the end of the field which is
fenced. The width of the headland
will depend largely upon the turning
radius of the tractor. With easily
handled outfits it is not necessary to
leave more than Is or 20 feet, but
plenty of room should always be left,
and for this reason headlands so
feet or more in width are preferable
to narrower ones.
If .he field is to be finished up in
the best manner, with no irregular,
unplowed strips between the land or
at the edges. it is essential that care
be taken to have the headland of the
same width clear around the field. to
have the distance measured exactly
when starting new lands and to
have the first burrows as nearly
straight as possible. A little extra
time taken in measuring off the
necessary distances and setting
plenty of stakes for guidance, will
nearly always be more than returned
in saving time at the finish