SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART I. 6 



hesitation in burning them, because they may cause a great deal ol 

 annoyance, not onlj- in planting, but in cultivating the crop after- 

 wards, and in this way do much more harm than they could possibly do 

 good by such addition of vegetable matter to the soil as will be made. 



After discing the soil it must be plowed of course, and not neces- 

 sarily very deep, four or five inches being sufficient. Where you have 

 plenty of horse power on your riding plow you will find it an excellent 

 plan to attach a small harrow — one wide enough to cover two furrows. 

 In this way you can really leave your land not only plowed but harrowed 

 twice. This is specially desirable if the soil is wet and inclined to 

 bake, because if such a soil is not harrowed soon after being plowed 

 the chances are that it will be exceedingly difficult to make a friable 

 seed bed. It is not a difficult mater to temporize a mechanical device 

 that will handle a small harrow of this character. 



Where spring plowing is done early I think it usually pays well to 

 disc the soil just before planting. Of course this means a good deal of 

 work because it must again be harrowed. Nevertheless I think the 

 destruction of weeds that is wrought makes the labor very profitable. 

 In every operation, whether it be plowing, discing or harrowing, I think 

 it is important that one should keep in mind the question of making the 

 surface as level as possible, so that the seed will all be planted a uniform 

 depth. The more I study this question the more I am convinced that it 

 will pay to use a heavy plank float so that the high places will be worn 

 off and the low places filled. If we go to the trouble to test our seed 

 and planters so as to insure a uniform drop in every hill, why not in 

 our culture methods prepare the soil so that every hill will be uni- 

 formly covered? 



Generally speaking, there is considerable advantage where it is the 

 intention to put corn on sod ground if plowing is done in the fall. Of 

 course this cannot always be done, owing to the fact that it is frequently 

 necessary to wait until spring in order to determine how new meadows 

 come through the winter. By fall plowing sod one can lessen labor at 

 the very busiest time of year. Fall plowed sod works down and makes 

 a better seed bed than can be made in the spring, especially where 

 timothy or blue grass predominates, so that the surface sward is tough. 

 Clover land is always more or less friable, and it is not difficult to make 

 a good seed bed even on spring plowing. Insects are generally plentiful 

 on sod ground, though their number is greatly lessened on fall plowing. 

 This not only destroys a great many cut-worms but it also disturbs 

 wire-worms at a critical time in their life history. Whether on fall or 

 spring plowing, it will always pay to do a good deal of work on the sur- 

 face in the spring on sod ground. There is always more or less hollow- 

 ness under the furrows and enough work should be done on the surface 

 so that the furrow slice becomes thoroughly compacted with the lower 

 soil. Where this is done there is not the same danger of the crop being 

 injured by drouth as will be the case where the seed bed is prepared 

 somewhat roughly. To bring about the ideal condition on such land 

 there is nothing better than to alternate the harrow and the disc. This 



