TILLAGE. 95 



of the frost, which pulverizes and reduces them to a finer condition than could be effected in 

 any other manner; besides, such soils become thoroughly aerated, and through the agency of 

 the sun, snow, rain, and air, these wonderful forces of nature, such chemical changes are 

 wrought by the blending and mingling of the different elements contained in the soil, that 

 these elements can readily be taken up by the plants as their proper nourishment. The frost 

 lifts the surface of the soil, rendering it more open, porous, and flexible for the next season s 

 work, as well as increasing its fertility. 



Lands that should be plowed only in the spring, and not until wanted for planting, are 

 light, sandy soils, such as dry quickly in the wind. If such lands are plowed in the fall, and 

 thus exposed to the rains, atmospheric influences, and the sun, their fertilizing properties are 

 very liable to be washed out or exhaled, and such soils derive but little fertility from the 

 atmosphere; in fact, not enough to compensate for the loss sustained by the exposure. 



How to Plow. In plowing in the fall, it is always well to so turn the furrows that 

 they will lap over, one upon the other, forming what is called the &quot;lap-furrow,&quot; which 

 will admit of a free circulation of air by forming an air-chamber under each furrow the 

 entire length of the field. By this means a better drainage of the land will be secured, the 

 soil aerated, and a greater benefit derived through the agency of the frost, since not only the 

 furrow-slice will be frozen, but the soil beneath it to quite a depth, thus breaking it up, 

 thoroughly pulverizing it, and rendering it more porous and friable. Lands plowed in this 

 manner are in good condition when the frost leaves the soil, and are ready for use much 

 earlier than when plowed in the spring. Some farmers recommend ridging the entire field 

 by turning two furrows together, thus exposing a larger portion of the surface-soil to the 

 action of the frost than by the previous method. Lands tilled in this manner may be cross- 

 plowed and cross-harrowed in the spring ; or, if this is not done, the furrows should be 

 divided by running a plow through the center of each, and afterwards cross-harrowed. 



A. W. Cheever, of Boston, a practical farmer, and editor of the New England Farmer, 

 gives the following sensible advice on the manner of plowing a field: 



&quot; If the field to be plowed is of regular shape, with four right-angle corners, and with 

 no fences to obstruct the team in turning, it may be plowed and left nearly as mellow as by 

 spading, and without leaving the track of a single hoof upon the entire field. If enclosed by 

 fences, the team should start on one side and travel to within a convenient turning-distance 

 from the fence, then reverse and plow back, leaving a strip of uniform width at either end. 

 The plowing should go on back and forth, till a strip of the same width of the ends is left at 

 the side of the field, when the team, instead of coming back at the end of each furrow, 

 should so move as to plow on the three sides with once reversing the plow. This avoids use 

 less turning of the plow at the corners, and prevents excessive tramping of the furrows. 

 Where there are no fences in the way at the ends, if the first furrow turned is carted across 

 the field and neatly laid in the bottom of the last furrow, the field will be as level and as 

 smooth throughout as before plowing. In plowing sod-land for immediate use, whether for 

 planting or for sowing, it is very important that every foot of soil is completely inverted and 

 the furrow-slices laid regularly in their appropriate places, and the furrows should be of 

 uniform depth and width throughout their entire length. If the furrow-slice is too wide for the 

 preceding furrow, its outer edge will be lapped over the previous furrow, and be liable to be 

 turned back during the after cultivation. If the plow dodges its work and takes more land 

 than it can turn, ugly depressions are left, which cannot be properly filled by any amount of 

 subsequent harrowing. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that the plow should run 

 steadily, and with a uniform width and depth of furrow. Many farmers use too short a 

 chain between plow and team. With a long chain a misstep of the animals is less felt, and 

 the plow less liable to leave its place than with a short hitch, and by using a wheel to govern 

 the depth of furrow, the plow will run just as easily with a long, as with a short hitch, pro- 



