TILLAGE AND CULTIVATION 67 



plowshares of various shapes, from that of a turning plow 

 to a scooter or bull-tongue, sometimes diamond-shaped. 

 They are so set that the gaps left by the front teeth are filled 

 in by those coming after, so as to stir up and loosen the 

 entire space between the rows, breaking the surface crust 

 and turning up the roots of the weeds. But as the cultivator 

 cannot take out the weeds that grow in the row itself, we 

 must often follow the horse hoe with the hand hoe to cut 

 out the weeds in the " middles." Of these hoes there are 

 also many different forms. 



A very effective tool is the disk cultivator, consisting of 

 one or two sets of steel disks mounted on revolving axles. 

 These disk cultivators are sometimes used instead of plows, 

 especially in orchards and vineyards, and for breaking up 

 clods in plowed lands. 



Harrows and rakes. When we have plowed, the ground 

 is rough and could not well be seeded. We then smooth it 

 and make the surface fine by means of a harrow, a frame set 

 with round, flat, or square teeth which are so spaced as to 

 rake the entire width of the frame. Sometimes these harrows 

 are very large, or several are hitched together, so as to rake 

 a broad strip of land at once. This is done in seeding land 

 to wheat which is harrowed in. 



On some soils, or when a disk or other harrow is not at 

 hand, we may use for breaking the clods and making a good, 

 smooth seed bed a drag, or plank harrow, which can easily 

 be made on the farm itself, but does not last long unless made 

 of hard wood. 



A hand rake acts like a small harrow, and is used in the 

 garden for the same purpose of raking the earth fine, and 

 also for taking off weeds, straw, and trash. 



Large rakes drawn by horses, and of many different kinds, are 

 used for raking up hay into long piles ("windrows") and shocks. 



