276 THE CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



growth of plants, as previously explained, is remembered or 

 recalled, it will be realized how very important it is that 

 the plowing should be perfectly well performed so that the 

 next operation of harrowing may be equally well done. 



The harrow, up to a recent period, has been a most im- 

 perfect implement, chiefly because its purpose in the cul- 

 ture of farm crops has not been understood. It has been 

 supposed when a farmer has thought at all about it, 

 that the harrow was used to smooth the surface and level 

 the ridges left by the plow. In effect it has been mostly 

 used to cover up and hide the bad work of the plow, and to 

 put a superficial smoothness upon the soil, leaving the under 

 portion in an exceedingly unfavorable condition for the 

 growth of plants. But during some years past the attention 

 of agricultural mechanics and inventors of improved machin- 

 ery has been turned tow r ards the improvement of this imple- 

 ment; and after many disappointments and failures, some- 

 thing like perfection, if not perfection, has been reached. 

 The first great improvement was the sloping tooth, which 

 smoothed the soil and pressed it down; without tearing up 

 the debris of the previous crop or the manure which had 

 been covered by the plow. The next improvement was the 

 coulter harrow; which cut the furrow slices and broke them 

 up. But the spike tooth harrow, and its more recent rela- 

 tive the spring tooth harrow, differing nothing in principle, 

 but both mere scratchers of the surface still furnished the 

 majority of the implements which were in use. 



The Acme pulverizing harrow, one of the happiest in- 

 ventions which mechanics has bestowed upon agriculture, 

 was introduced about 8 years ago. It was the invention of 

 a well known agricultural mechanic, Mr. Nishwitz; who 

 gradually improved his first designs until at last the most 

 perfect implement of its kind was produced. This harrow 

 consists of a smoothing and leveling bar, which is provided 

 with a set of (10) flat crushing teeth and ten curved coulters 

 sloping backward, so that the ridges on the surface are lev- 

 eled and smoothed and clods are crushed. In the rear of 

 this leveling and smoothing bar, is another bar which is 



