692 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Fall-Plowing. — Regarding only soil fertility, land should be kept 

 covered by a growing crop. Bare land is losing available j)laut food 

 whenever it is not locked up by frost. Hence the condemnation of 

 fall-plowing for a spring crop. But we do not invest money in land 

 primarily to maintain its fertility, but we maintain fertility in order 

 that we may make money. Income must be considered. There is 

 laud of such texture that a spring-planted crop can not be produced 

 from it in profitable amount unless it undergo the ameliorating ef- 

 fect of hard freezing. It cannot be put into tine physical condition 

 after spring-plowing, while it does yield itself well to tillage when 

 plowed in the fall and left frost-locked during winter. I am ac- 

 quainted with some such land that is made to produce potatoes 

 profitably for its local markets, and am sure that there is a serious 

 mistake in condemning fall-plowing for it. Again, there is land now 

 3'ielding good income from extra early potatoes that could not be 

 plowed in time for the early planting if the work was dielayed till 

 spring. It loses some in fertility, but amends are made to it b}" the 

 application of plant food easil}' purchased from the proceeds of its 

 crops. When consistent with returns from the crop, land should 

 not be left bare during winter. The losses from this source have 

 been heavy in American agriculture, but there are conditions justi- 

 fying some fall-plowing for potatoes, and the matter is one w^orthy of 

 careful study. If seemingly best, do it, but remember that w^hen bare 

 and unfrozen, there is a loss of fertility that must be made good be 

 fore net profit is figured. 



Harrowing. — Potato land should be made fine, but not too firm. 

 Spring rains tend to pack ground unduly for potatoes unless it is 

 naturally very friable. The perfect harrow would be one that pul- 

 verizes each furrow-slice fast as turned, with power gotten from a 

 horse walking on the solid bottom of the furrow by its side. I have 

 tried to interest inventors in such a harrow, but am assured that too 

 many farmers are indiflt'erent to perfect work to make the demand 

 for such a harrow attractive to a manufacturer. As it is, we plow 

 land to make it loose, audi then tramp it with horses while fining iL 

 until a considerable percentage of the soil is packed down as tight as 

 it was before the breaking-plow was used. When the weight of a horse 

 is placed on the few square inches of surface covered by his foot, the 

 ground under the foot is packed. This is especially true of soil that 

 necessarily is worked in the spring as soon as it crumbles nicely. 

 The track of the horse fills with loose soil, hiding the damage done, 

 but let the farmer remove the loose soil and dig into the ground 

 that was packed by the pressure, and he Avill realize what is being 

 done. It has been my rule to cut the plowed land with a twenty- 

 inch disk harrow, drawn by three horses. Two cuttings, each lap- 

 ping half, equal to four single cuttings, have been given to tear the 



