128 



FARM DEVELOPMENT 



Figure 48. Mud boat. 



soil, and even injures the mechanical texture of soils 

 already lacking in binding power. The leaves and other 

 forms of nearly decayed plant substances are especially 

 needed by sandy soils, and it is on our light soils that fires 

 most frequently cause permanent loss of fertility. A fire, 

 in a very dry season, will consume all the soil covering 



which Nature has been 

 slowly accumulating 

 for centuries. Even in 

 heavy soils all the fine 

 humus mulching ma- 

 terials should be care- 

 fully preserved and 

 care should be used to 

 select seasons for burning the brush and stump piles 

 when the fire will not burn up valuable fertilizing 

 matter by running over the surface of the ground. 



Removing stones. Removing stones is largely a 

 matter of main strength. Most smaller stones should 

 be picked from the sur- 

 face by hand or fork as 

 they are turned up by 

 the plow. The breaking 

 plow by no means brings 

 them all to the surface 

 the first year, but each 

 time the field is stirred with the stubble plow a new crop 

 of stones comes to the surface. The only way to get 

 them all out is to remove them as they are brought to 

 the surface, or uncovered by the plow, and not allow 

 them again to be covered. When there are only occa- 

 sional stones found, the plowman may carry them to the 

 end of the field in a small box on the plow, but if there 

 are many, a man should follow after the plow, and re- 

 move them with the stone boat or wagon. Where the 

 stones are thick, a low wagon is best for stones of 



Figure 49. Low or handy wagon. 



