The Ely miner., 1943-09-23

recognizes, is the really good soiD
just as Mother Nature does it in
forest or a meadow.
Disk Harrow Better.
''We have developed some useless
theories in that field" declares Mr..
Faulkner. 'Men have come to feel,
for example, that centuries are nee
essary for the development of pro-
ductive soil. The satisfying truth is
that man with team or tractor
and a good disk harrow can mix
into the soil, in a matter of hours,
sufficient organic material to ac-
complish results equal to what is
accomplished by nature in decades"
In fact, it is the disk harrow, rather
than the plow, which should be the
farmers principal instrument in pro-
ducing more and better crops. Here
is why:
The organic matter disked into the
top of the soil not only decomposes
and adds to the fertility of the soil,
but acts as sponge to hold moisture
where it is needed. Faulkner be-
ieves there is a capillary movement
of water upward from the subsoil.
When the surface of the soil contains
organic matter, this top layer not
only holds water, but is able to re-
ceive it from below. Conversely,
when the soil has been plowed, the
loose layer at the surface loses its
capillarity while the layer of green
manure plowed under actually insu-
lates the upper surface Of soil from
the subsoil.
This "blotter" is often the reason
why crop shows lack of moisture
when there is moisture in the SUBJ
soil. The crop has used all the
moisture in the loose layer of top
soil but can get no more from below
until the organic matter plowed un-
der has become completely decom-
posed and packed.
Although the author of "Plow-
mans Folly" believes that the disk
harrow is the farm tool which should
more and more replace the plow, he
admits that it does have its limita-
tions. It is difficult to handle on
side hills and it won't work so well
on stony soil. Nor is it the complete
answer to the question of how to get
rid of weeds. He comedies that there
is no such thing as completely weed
less farming but he does believe that
the system of farming which he ad-
vocates tends to get rid of weeds
while the plow tends to encourage
them. For every time land is
plowed, seeds are buried for future
sprouting. Then when it is plowed
again some of the seeds are brought
to the surface for growth, while more
seeds are turned under to await their
turn to sprout, and so on, ad in
finitum.
Under Faullzner's plan of using
the disk harrow rather than the
plow, the weeds are mixed up into
the top soil and their seeds are
never very far below the surface.
When such seed grows into plant
and the plant is cut, then there is
no reservoir of seed far under the
surface to take its place. Gradually
field may get rid of weeds entirely,
if they are cut before they mature,
although, of course, there will al
ways be some weeds grown from
seed that is blown or carried into the
fields.
Not a New Idea.
But the problem of weed control
is, after all, of lesser importance
than the problem of preparing the
soil so that it will be more produc-
tive. In advocating his plan, Faulk-
ner does not claim that it is new.
'No new technical discoveries are
to be aired here" he says in his first
chapter. ''The discussion is con-
cerned wholly with reducing to prac-
teal terms, employable in any
body's backyard or on any farm,
iOp Kane &c the sEoth h