172 APPENDIX 



crust that will form after the snow is gone. As soon 

 as possible after seeding time it should be plowed 

 deep, care being taken that the furrow is well 

 turned down. I use a home-made roller behind 

 my gang plow. This packs down the furrow and 

 holds the moisture. I would advise every farmer 

 to put on a pulverizer attachment behind the 

 plow. By this operation my plowing is rolled 

 immediately to conserve the moisture. The plow 

 is followed by a surface packer to pack it down 

 more. After it is packed I use a plank drag similar 

 to what is called the King Drag or road drag. 

 This is made with two two by eight planks nine 

 feet long, placed on edge three feet apart, the 

 ends overlapping one foot. Pieces two by six 

 are mortised in to hold the planks in place. On 

 these boards are nailed for the driver to stand on. 

 It is operated at a slight angle. The driver should 

 stand on it to do good work, and by shifting his 

 position on the drag the angle may be altered to 

 suit. The drag is operated up the right hand side 

 of the field, crossing at the end and following 

 down by the first dead furrow, doing the field in 

 sections to avoid waste of time crossing the ends. 

 The reason for using the drag is that I want to 

 level up the field and put the surface in a uniform 

 condition. Should a rain come shortly after, it is 

 surprising to see how weeds will germinate. Rain 

 penetrates readily when land is in this condition. 

 "As soon as possible after a rain, while the soil 

 is moist (not wet not dry) it should be harrowed. 

 If disking is necessary during the summer the 

 drag (plank) will put it in uniform condition again, 



