70 THE OLIVER PLOW BOOK 



crops abundantly and another year they contend that 

 disking without plowing produces a better crop. Back 

 of it all is this one fundamental fact the ground which 

 was in the proper condition for the growing of the oats 

 grew the best crop. 



How is one to tell whether to disk or plow for an oats 

 crop? It is not so hard if one stops to consider two 

 fundamental facts. The first is that moisture keeps 

 the ground from readily warming in the early spring; 

 the second, it keeps the ground cool in the hot summer 

 weather. 



The seed bed must be made so as to warm the ground 

 as early as possible in the spring and keep it cool during 

 the warmer weather. To do this naturally means that 

 the ground must be put in condition to conserve the 

 water and prevent the ground from running together in 

 a plastic condition in the spring of the year. 



If the winter has been very severe and the ground full 

 of frost, this condition may be brought about by merely 

 disking in the spring because freezing expands the soil 

 particles, leaving them loose after thawing. If, on the 

 other hand, one waits until spring to plow, and the 

 spring should be late, he may be losing time that ought 

 to be consumed by the plants in growing because the 

 plants should get all the growth they possibly can 

 before the warmer days that are coming. If the ground 

 for oats is left cloddy, half pulverized, it cannot grow a 

 good crop of oats, and on the other hand, if the disking 

 is done when it is hard below the surface a good crop of 

 oats cannot be grown unless Nature is very propitious 

 with hard rains and cool weather, but, however the work 

 is done, the ground must be in the proper shape for 



