Preparing Seed Bed with Disk Harrow 



By L. B. BASSITT 



Assistant Professor of Farm Mechanics, Minnesota Experiment Station 



In discussing the use of the disk harrow, I have endeavored 

 to give suggestions that if followed will give ideal conditions. 

 It is expected that in following these suggestions, a person will 

 so modify them as to fit his own conditions. 



One of the chief reasons why better seed beds are not pre- 

 pared and the disk harrow used more in their preparation, is 

 the lack of time caused by the farming of too large an area. 

 It is the same old fault too much ground poorly tilled. 



Preparing Land for Corn Crop 



If the land has been fall plowed, it should be single disked 

 just as soon as the land can be worked in the spring. For this 

 work, set the disk with slant enough to stir the ground to a 

 depth of two inches. This should be followed immediately 

 with a slant tooth harrow crossing the disk furrows; harrow 

 again after every heavy rain until just before planting time, then 

 double disk with disks set to cut two inches deep; cross harrow 

 at once and plant immediately. A seed bed handled in this 

 way will be firm underneath and free from weeds, with a two- 

 inch dust mulch on top that will readily take water from above 

 and prevent the loss of water from evaporation. 



The Use of Disk Harrow for Small Grain 



In the driest section of the Mississippi Valley it is found to 

 be very profitable to follow the binder with the disk harrow to 

 conserve the moisture and render the soil fit to hold moisture 

 that may fall during the late summer before ground is plowed 

 in fall. This also cuts up and pulverizes the surface so that 

 when land is plowed the furrow slice makes a better connection 

 with the bottom of the preceding furrow, preventing in a large 

 measure the large air spaces that are so detrimental to a per- 

 fect seed bed. 



