Some Uses of the Disk Harrow in Idaho 



By F. D. FARKBLL 



Director in Charge, Southern Idaho Agricultural Extension, University of Idaho 



Comparatively few farms in the state of Idaho are without 

 the disk harrow. It is used extensively on the dry lands and 

 on the general irrigated farms, in the orchards, etc. It can be 

 used for a number of purposes where other implements might 

 also serve but it is the most effective implement we have for 

 all the following purposes: (1) Preparation of a seed bed on 

 newly broken sod; (2) Breaking of heavy crusts formed by 

 snow or rain; (3) Eradication of weeds, particularly on dry 

 land summer fallow; (4) General preparation of all seed beds; 

 (5) Loosening of stubble fields after harvest to make them 

 absorb and retain moisture; (6) The cultivation of alfalfa. 



In the brief space allotted us we can call attention to some 

 of the main considerations only, with regard to the above 

 enumerated points. 



On a very large area of our virgin soils the first plowing 

 turns over a rather tough, heavy sod. The plowing is ordi- 

 narily done to a depth of five inches. Some implement is then 

 necessary to completely pulverize this sod to make it firm, 

 without being too compact, and to establish a connection 

 between the plowed sod and the soil immediately beneath it. 

 We have found that the disk harrow is the most efficient 

 implement in preparing this sod for planting. Where an ordi- 

 nary spike-toothed harrow is used, it is next to impossible to get 

 all the sod completely pulverized, and the harrow has little or 

 no effect in the way of incorporating the pulverized soil with 

 the unplowed underlying soil. The disk harrow, however, 

 does this very satisfactorily. The firm of Woodmansee & 

 Webster, which operates a 4,800-acre dry farm in Fremont 

 county, employs a very efficient combination of disk harrows. 

 They have a specially constructed frame, behind which they 

 attach ten harrows, each seven feet wide. They are attached in 

 such a way that each harrow overlaps one-half of one of the 



