Progressive Agriculture 95 



stubble fields untouched the moisture is nearly 

 all gone, while in stubble fields that were double 

 disked after the harvester, I do not strike dry 

 ground at 72 inches, the length of my auger; 

 but I do not find as high per cent of moisture in 

 the disked stubble field as in my summer tilled 

 fields. I also find the native sod dry from the top 

 down. This wide difference in face of the fact that 

 6J inches of rain fell in August and 1| inches in 

 September is certainly very interesting." 



While many farmers have learned the value of 

 early spring disking yet very few practice disking 

 after the harvest. In the average midsummer season 

 over the semi-humid sections, the practice or non- 

 practice of double disking after the harvest means 

 almost the difference of success or failure when 

 the following crop growing season is similar to 

 1913 or 1914. As previously stated there is no 

 time that your soil is improved to as great a 

 degree by keeping it moist as in July, August and 

 September. 



Some seasons heavy rains follow the disking. 

 If a very heavy stubble has been disked into the 

 top soil these rains have very little detrimental 

 effect, but where a short and somewhat thin 

 stubble is disked in, a fairly heavy rain will not 

 only settle the mulch but cause weeds to start 

 much quicker. In this case disking again is im- 

 portant and if done before the weeds get any size 

 they will be practically eliminated. Single disking 

 the second time will do a very good job if a bull 

 tongue is attached to the disk harrow to tear up 

 the center or ridge between the two sections to 



