THE SUMMER FALLOW 169 



season, (it plows easiest, time and power are avail- 

 able and the land is in the best "condition" at this 

 time), and (2) surface cultivating the land to prevent 

 the loss of moisture through weed and other volunteer 

 growth. Other additional practices sometimes followed 

 consist of disking or skim plowing either in the fall or 

 early in the spring before the usual plowing, and of 

 packing the land some time after the plowing has been 

 done. An occasional farmer now fallows without plow- 

 ing, using only the disc, cultivator and harrows. 



From the point of view of moisture conservation, the 

 essential things about a fallow are (1) to plow reason- 

 ably early in the rainy season, (2) to kill weeds as soon 

 as practicable after germination, (3) to surface cultivate 

 enough to prevent the soil cracking. 



Where weed control is more important than moisture 

 conservation early fall cultivation such as disking, culti- 

 vating or skim plowing is desirable to start weed seeds 

 growing. Spring cultivation after the first crop of 

 w^eeds starts in the spring is equally important, and 

 plowing shortly after the second crop is up is advisable. 

 The subsequent cultivation should be such as will en- 

 courage weed seeds to grow and the young plants to be 

 killed as soon as possible after germination. 



As to whether a particular practice of fallowing will 

 pay depends wholly upon the circumstances under which 

 it is to be used. No code of rules for fallowing are 

 applicable to all soils in all climates. The needs of the 

 specific field must first be known, and then such remedies 

 applied as will best suit the conditions that exist. 



Disking in fall before fallowing will start some seeds 

 to germinate if the soil is moist, and make the next plow- 

 ing easier, but it costs money. 



