144 THE BUSINESS OF FARMING 



proper moisture to make it break up and turn over 

 loose by the breaking plow, we will have the clods, 

 a hindrance to good tillage and a menace to crop 

 growth, if steps are not taken immediately after 

 plowing to break them up. And even if the soil 

 breaks up loosely, it is necessary to submit it to 

 proper tillage to conserve moisture and to bring 

 out or make available the fertility within it. 



Various pulverizing devices to be attached to 

 breaking plows have been invented, which are 

 designed to work down the soil to smoothness and 

 fineness at the time the soil is plowed. Some of 

 these are successful, but they generally add to the 

 already overburdened plow moved by horses, and 

 so are impracticable for that reason. So the 

 farmer must rely upon the implement designed 

 to run separately from the plow. Such imple- 

 ments heretofore used are the roller, the harrow, 

 the disc, the pulverizer and the drag, the most 

 commonly used being the harrow. While the har- 

 row is a satisfactory implement to be used for this 

 purpose, when soil plows up in a loose state, it 

 should not be relied upon entirely to prepare a 

 proper seed bed. The common spike tooth and 

 spring tooth harrows are the most common and 

 best types of harrows to use. 



The roller is one of the most valuable imple- 

 ments upon the farm, but must be used with judg- 

 ment. If soil is already too moist, it does not 

 need the roller; in fact, the roller would injure it. 

 In the absence of too much moisture, it should al- 

 ways be used and must be used when green ma- 

 nuring and the plowing under of other organic 

 matter is practiced upon the farm. 



