IMPLEMENTS FOR SOIL PREPARATION 61 



opinion as to the best time for plowing, but in general we may say 

 that it depends on the soil, climate, and crops. In many sections 

 of the South it has been found that land broken in the spring is 

 fully as productive as that broken during the fall. Clay soils 

 should be broken in the fall or winter, especially in cold climates. 

 Another argument in, favor of it is that fall plowing lessens the 

 great rush of spring work. In Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and 

 Nebraska fall plowing is of inestimable value, as plowed land in 

 arid or semiarid regions always contains more moisture. It is 

 claimed that many insect pests are destroyed by fall plowing. 

 January plowing is highly recommended in western Oklahoma and 

 Texas as a means of eradicating the cutworms. Limestone soils 

 and heavy grass sod demand fall or winter plowing to insure suc- 

 cessful cultivation. Land in which alfalfa, rape, or turnip seed is 

 to be planted should be broken in August if not sooner. 



Depth for Plowing. There is some difference of opinion as to 

 the proper depth for plowing, but it is generally determined by the 

 character of the soil, the season, the crop, and the amount of rain- 

 fall. Formerly farmers almost invariably advised deep plowing. 

 Many still advise subsoiling to a depth of fifteen to eighteen inches, 

 but recent experiments at the Experiment Stations in Georgia, 

 Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas for different 

 crops at different seasons of the year fail to show any advantage 

 gained from it. In some cases the yield was not so great as was 

 produced with ordinary plowing. The average depth in breaking 

 for good results is from four to seven inches. In general, fall and 

 summer plowing should be deep and spring plowing shallow. Semi- 

 arid and arid regions demand shallow plowing. Thin soils also 

 should receive plowing at shallow depths. The depth of the plow- 

 ing should be changed from year to year to prevent the formation 

 of a hard pan layer which prevents the capillary movement of 

 moisture from the subsoil. After planting, the farmer should see 

 that the plowing is not deep enough to interfere with the growth 

 of the roots of the plant. 



Flat and Ridge Cultivation. The relative merits of flat and 

 ridge cultivation depend on the kind of crop, the nature of the 

 land, the humidity of the soil, and the time of the year. Ridge 

 cultivation is undoubtedly advisable on cold, wet clay soils because 



