PLOWING, SUBSOILING, AXD TREXCIIIXG. 1^1 



" 5th. The same plow works perfectly not only in stubble and 

 " corn ground, but in timothy and clover sod. 



" 6th. In every part it is made of the best material, and no 

 " pains are spared to produce a uniformly good and merchantable 

 "article." 



The same firm has brought out a plow without handles, with 

 Volkman's " Guide," (Fig. 65,) — a plow that holds itself to Its 



Fig. 65. 



work, and returns to it when thrown out by stones even better 

 than it could be held and replaced by a plowman. I consider 

 these steel plows one of the greatest improvements that I have 

 adopted. The plow-guide especially is a great labor saver. 

 With its aid, any boy who can drive a team can do good work. 



The first condition, and by far the most important of all, is to 

 plow when the soil has only enough moisture in it to make it crumble 

 when moved. If it is too wet (unless very light land) it will be 

 compacted into clods, which it will take years to break dov/n, 

 and which umII do fur more harm than the plowing will do good. 

 If it is too dry it will be very hard to plow, and the furrow slice 

 will contain lumps which it will be difficult to make fine. Still, 

 it is better to plow when the land is very dry than when it is very 

 wet. 



The second condition is to plow in autumn, or as soon as con- 

 venient after the crops are ofF the ground. Man can, after all, 

 do only a part of the work of cultivation, the most important 

 part is done by nature, and we should aim, so far as possible, to 

 aid her. She works at the processes of pulverization, sweetening. 



