132 DRY FARMING 



103. Don't Backset if Sod has not Rotted. In very dry 

 summers it is more difficult to backset and less difficult 

 to kill the prairie grasses than in wet summers. In 1914, 

 as in some other dry years, it was physically impossible 



Fig. 50. A Good Job of Breaking on Medium Light Soil. 



in many areas to backset any breaking except that which 

 had been done early and well packed down. In addition 

 to this difficulty, it was noticed that even where back- 

 setting was done the unrotted sod produced a very un- 

 suitable seed bed and one that required an unreasonable 

 amount of surface tillage before it was considered satis- 

 factory. 



104. Land Intended to be Backset Should be Broken Shal- 

 low; that not to be Backset, Deeper. Deep breaking con- 

 trols native plants better than shallow breaking but it 

 cannot be backset satisfactorily. If it is the intention 

 to backset, it is therefore advisable to break shallow. In 

 some parts it is a fixed practice to plow shallow in the 



