WHAT GOOD PLOWING IS. 181 



at these places, and so bring it out even again. But even 

 then the previous mistake and injury is only balanced by a 

 second one, and two bad spots are left in the field. 



When the furrows are not straight it is impossible to keep 

 them of even width ; and to plow the land evenfy and keep 

 it free from hard spots upon which only weak plants will 

 grow. For the result of such plowing is, that a certain 

 portion of the land is not plowed at all, and these unplowed 

 spots will show, not only in the succeeding crop, but for 

 years afterwards, and the repetition of such irregular plow- 

 ing will leave a field spotted over with these infertile patches 

 upon which the crop will appear quite inferior to the rest 

 of the field. It is this bad plowing to which the "spotty" 

 appearance of the land when covered with crops is owing, 

 and it goes without saying, that this is necessarily accom- 

 panied by serious loss to the farmer. 



When a field is well plowed, one may walk over it and 

 thrust a stick down through the soil anywhere, and find ev- 

 erywhere the same depth and the same ease of penetration; 

 the foot will sink in the soil everywhere to the same even 

 depth; and when the harrow passes over such a field, it 

 hugs the land closely, every tooth doing its service, and the 

 implement will not jump and bound as it does when there 

 are hard unplowed spots to throw it out of the soil. 



But the soil varies very much in composition, character, 

 and surface; and each variation calls for special treatment. 

 Level ground offers no difficulty whatever to the passage of 

 the plow, but clay soils require different management from 

 that of lighter land. One purpose of plowing is not only 

 to break up the land to fit it for the crops, but to expose as 

 much of it as possible to the influence of frost, and rain, and 

 the air, to bring it into the finest condition; to set free a 

 large quantity of mineral plant food in it; to decompose 

 the organic matter in it; and to enable it to absorb as much 

 as possible of carbonic acid and nitric acid from the air. 

 This purpose is best attained by fall plowing; and this 

 should be done as early as possible so as to give time for 

 the desired effects to be produced. 



