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AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING 



corn stalk ground it has many advantages over the shovel 

 cultivator. In the first place it is more rapid, and, more- 

 over, a double disking will effectively reduce the stalks. 

 In subduing a sod, there is no other tool that will do the 

 work of the disk harrow. In dry-farming localities it has 

 been found to be one of the best tools to produce a soil 

 mulch for preserving the soil moisture. Orchardists use it 



Fig. 122. A disk harrow at work. 



for cultivating orchards. It is used in renewing alfalfa fields, 

 as it cuts or splits the crowns of the plants, thus thickening 

 the stand. 



The disk harrow can be made to do the work of the stalk 

 cutter and at the same time cultivate the ground in the early 

 spring, preparing it for plowing. As a rule two diskings will 

 not cut cornstocks as well as going over the field once with a 

 stalk cutter, but nevertheless a good job is done. This 



