100 FARMING ON FACTORY LINES 



ploughs as stubble-skimming ploughs, but in practice 

 it will be found that on two-horse lea land three 

 horses can pull such a plough on stubble land at quite 

 sufficient depth for tare cultivation on stubble land, 

 or for ploughing potato land for wheat (seldom with 

 a cultivator and disc harrow is this necessary for 

 wheat after potatoes), or for turning in mangels and 

 turnip tops in preparation for a succeeding corn crop. 

 Whatever method of cultivation be followed, it is 

 of primary importance in districts of a low rainfall to 

 carry out the work expeditiously. Many failures in 

 the sowing of autumn crops after oats are directly 

 attributable to the dry condition of the stubble land. 



DRY FARMING METHODS 



Slow tilling under such conditions means drying the 

 land still further. Hence when an autumn crop is 

 sown under dry soil conditions, there is generally just 

 sufficient moisture to start growth, but not sufficient 

 to sustain it, and, in consequence, the crop fails. 



Not only should the tillage in the low rainfall 

 districts be quick, but other methods of retaining 

 moisture should be resorted to. For instance, if the 

 area of stubble to be sown is considerable, and the 

 method followed is to complete the cultivation and 

 sowing of one or two acres at a time before touching 

 the rest of the field, it will be found that, more often 

 than not, before half the area has been sown, the 

 balance will have become bone dry, and so hard that 

 it is impossible to get a plough into the baked surface. 



The method which should be followed to meet such 

 circumstances is to run over the whole area first with 

 the cultivator an d disc, tta, rmw n just breaking the top 

 crust and leaving a soil mulch which effectually 

 prevents the land baking underneath. Again, after 



