ARID AGRICULTURE. 47 



ing. This is to avoid turning up the undecom- 

 posed sod. In our dry climate it ordinarily 

 takes more than one year to incorporate any veg- 

 etable matter plowed under, with the soil. Crops 

 plowed under when green, or well rotted manure, 

 will become humus much more rapidly than w 7 ill 

 dried out materials. Sometimes it is best to back 

 set the land by turning the furrows the same di- 

 rection as the first plowing. If the land is in 

 good condition, cross-plowing will do more to 

 pulverize and make a good seed bed. It is econ- 

 omy to make the lands as long as possible to 

 avoid much turning at the corners and tramping. 

 If a soil is plowed year after year at the same 

 depth the sole of the furrow becomes packed and 

 hardened by the smoothing action of the plow 

 bottom, and by the tramping of the horses. This 

 may bring good results sometimes where irriga- 

 tion is practiced, but in dry farming, doing alter- 

 nate plowings at different depths, tends to break 

 up the furrow sole and allow movement of moist- 

 ure to and from the subsoil. 



Good plowing is the kind that gives the best 

 results iu the crop. What good plowing is, de- 

 ])(Mi<l< on conditions, but the work should be well 

 done. Poor work always leaves its mark and 

 the mark is always a minus sign when its result 

 reaches the pocket book. Good plowing may be 

 defined as the smooth, even furrow so turned that 

 the soil moved, ets more or less on eds:e with 



