BREAKING THE VIRGIN PRAIRIE 129 



98. Turn the Furrow Over Flat. The furrow slice 

 should be turned over flat on the furrow bottom, other- 

 wise the sod does not rot satisfactorily and the furrow 

 slice itself dries out too much. It has been observed 



Fig 48. Improper Breaking after Discing. 



Showing the loose, open spaces under the furrow slice which are so 

 undesirable in dry areas. 



that where good plowing is done and the furrow slice 

 turned down flat, rather than on edge, the sod rots bet- 

 ter and larger returns are secured. 



99. Pack or Plank after Breaking. -For the same rea- 

 son that sod or prairie land should be turned over flat, it 

 should also be pressed firmly against the subsurface soil. 

 For this purpose the land packer or the home-made 

 planker give excellent results. In the dry summers of 

 1914 and 1917 the only breaking on which the sod thor- 

 oughly rotted was that which had been well packed. In 

 a wet season the necessity for packing is not so great. 



On land that contains some creeping-rooted grasses 

 but which it is not considered necessary to backset the 

 same season, and in low-lying areas particularly, it is 

 sometimes advisable to leave the breaking unpacked for 

 a few days to permit the furrow slice to dry out and thus 

 aid in killing the grass. 



100. Disk Deep Breaking as soon as Possible after it can 

 be done without Turning up Sods. Moisture evaporates 

 rapidly from the smooth surface and sides and from the 



