H2 Our Farming. 



will get away from us some, but we can do a great deal better by 

 being as careful as we can be on this point. Just the moment 

 that it is dry enough we start to work. A man may say, What is 

 the use of starting? it looks as though it would rain again soon 

 and you will have to do it over ? We do not care how many 

 times we do it over. If it doesn't rain soon, why we save mois- 

 ture ; if it does, why then we catch more and make it pay tribute 

 to us. 



One point was omitted above in regard to use of the disk or 

 cutaway harrow. The great objection to them is that they throw 

 earth something like the plow and get the surface out of level . 

 I have seen land put in bad shape with a disk set to go as deep as 

 possible. The ones I use throw soil out from centre, and, used 

 without lapping, you have a ridge every six feet, and a depression 

 between. The cutaway does less of this than the disk. If used 

 quite straight neither throws as badly ; but the best way to use 

 them both is back and forth through the field, lapping half; with 

 careful driving you can leave land very nearly level. And I 

 would prefer that this disk work should be crosswise of field ; then 

 if you get it a little out of level, a smoothing down lengthwise 

 will make planter and drill work well. If you disk harrow the 

 same way you drill or plant, you will not level the field as well. 

 Do not disk diagonally that gives a wavy motion to drill but 

 squarely, crosswise. 



Keep your smoothing harrow teeth sharp. Mine are steel 

 and I get them tempered when they are sharpened. A sharp tooth 

 will do much better work on potatoes or corn. When it becomes 

 as blunt as the end of your big finger, as many in use are, it will 

 not take hold as well and is more liable to break crops off. I have 

 never sharpened my disk harrow. But Mr. J. F. Pond, of Olena, 

 O., writes me to " get them sharpened on an emery wheel, where 

 saws are gummed. This costs $i for a good job, and harrow then 

 does as good work as when new. Three good 8-inch files, and lots 

 of work, will do nearly as well. We have the second one nearly 

 worn out." 



