Progressive Agriculture 35 



plowing had lain long enough to become some- 

 what dry, under which conditions the soil would 

 not respond to the pressure of the wheels and the 

 very under portion would not become firm. There- 

 fore, if a dry season followed, the desired effect 

 was lost and the packer condemned because it 

 did not do what could not be done. 



Another very serious mistake, after the sub- 

 surface packer has been used effectively, the top 

 may become packed by later rains. Now with the 

 lower portion of the furrow made firm by the sub- 

 surface packer, when the top becomes dissolved 

 and packed by heavy rains, as it will, especially 

 if a free use of the spike tooth harrow has made 

 the mulch fine, you then have the most serious 

 condition, because it so greatly aids the upward 

 movement of moisture by capillary attraction to 

 the surface and direct loss by evaporation. This 

 water brings to the surface alkali, magnesia and 

 other salts of the soil in a dissolved or soluable 

 form, and when the steam or vapor leaves the 

 surface the dry salts are left between the soil 

 grains. This with the loss of the moisture causes 

 a most unfavorable condition for the growth and 

 maturity of the plant. Do such conditions give 

 ground for the argument, that there are times the 

 subsurface packer should not be used? It certainly 

 does not. The things that should not have been 

 done were first, not to allow the surface to be- 

 come so fine that rains would settle it so firm; 

 second, not to allow the surface to remain firm 

 after the rain. 



A mulch should be kept over the surface as near 



