CROPS AND SOIL IMPROVEMENT 



nure and turf in the bottom of the furrow so com- 

 pletely as is the case with a long, curved mold- 

 board. The organic matter should be distributed 

 throughout all the soil. On the other hand, it 

 is essential to some plants that they have a fine 

 seed-bed, and one whose surface is free from tufts 

 of grass. The long moldboard is preferred in break- 

 ing a sod for corn. Its use in plowing for all crops 

 is more general than it should be, the gain in pul- 

 verization of the furrow-slice, due to the curve, 

 and the neatness in appearance of the plowed 

 land, inducing its use. 



The disk plow has been used chiefly in soils not 

 requiring deep plowing. It pulverizes better than 

 a moldboard plow, and buries trash more easily. 



The device for using two disks to turn a single 

 furrow-slice rests upon a sound principle. This 

 plow may be set to run deeper than moldboard 

 plows go, and it mixes well all the soil that it turns. 

 The disks are so hung that the mixing of all the 

 soil to a depth of twelve or fifteen inches is admir- 

 able. The deep-tilling plow does not bury the 

 organic matter in the bottom of the furrow, and 

 thereby permits the deepening of the soil with- 

 out bringing an undue amount of subsoil to the 

 surface. 



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