294 



SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 



347. Influence of Moisture Content of the Soil at the 

 Time of Plowing. The condition of the soil, particu- 

 larly its moisture content, at the time of plowing, has 

 much to do with the formation of a good seed bed. If 

 soils are too dry when plowed, they fail to pulverize, and 





FlG. 49. Ideal Plowing (after Roberts). The land left in a formed, pulverized 

 condition and all the sods turned under. 



then disking, harrowing, and in some cases light rolling, 

 which make additional expense, must be resorted to 

 in order to produce a fine, mediumly compact, and well- 

 pulverized seed bed. If clay soils are plowed when too 

 wet, the pores of the subsoil become clogged, a condi- 

 tion known as puddling takes place, and the furrow 

 slice dries and forms hard lumps and clods. The con- 

 dition in which the soil is left after plowing, particularly 

 in the case of clay soils, has much to do with the char- 

 acter of the seed bed and the subsequent yield of the 

 crop. At the Oklahoma Station, winter wheat land 

 plowed in July was moist and mellow, while that plowed 



