PBEPAEATION OF THE SOIL 145 



The modern up-to-date double disc, one section 

 of the cut away pattern and the other section the 

 common round disc, is a farm implement of great 

 value and should be extensively used in all soils, 

 and no other implement will give the proper till- 

 age that this implement gives to the soil. Of 

 course it requires power, four horses, to properly 

 move it, but it has capacity for quick work, leaves 

 the soil level, and certainly gives the best tillage 

 of any farm implement designed and built for that 

 purpose. 



The drag, an implement of home manufacture, 

 for they are generally made upon the farm, is 

 another valuable implement which gives the best 

 of tillage if properly constructed. They should 

 be made of heavy one and one-half or two inch 

 plank, and of weight that requires at least three 

 horses to move them. The author regards the 

 drag as one of his most valuable farm implements 

 to use in the preparation of the soil for the seed 

 bed. In the first place it is not an expensive farm 

 tool. Any farmer with material can easily make 

 it. It levels and pulverizes the soil and packs it 

 correctly so as to aid conservation of moisture. 

 Of course it must be understood that the drag 

 should never be used when the soil is too wet. 

 Like the roller, it must be used with judgment. 



Most farmers are content if they simply harrow 

 their soil after it is plowed, before planting the 

 seed. In the present age this is a serious mistake. 

 We have already shown that when our soils were 

 first brought into cultivation such a method of 

 preparation might be successful, but it will no 

 longer do to practice this system. To get the 



