Important Uses of the Disk Harrow 



By H. Do SCUDDER 



Professor of Agronomy, Oregon Agricultural College 



While we consider the disk harrow one of the most valuable 

 all-around tools upon any farm, it is as yet very little used in 

 Oregon, owing, perhaps, to the lack of intensive tillage meth- 

 ods. While Western Oregon is adapted to the most intensive 

 forms of agriculture, it is just beginning to become developed 

 for this purpose, hence there will be, no doubt, a very greatly 

 increased demand for the disk harrow. This Station has car- 

 ried out no experiments with the specific object in view to de- 

 termine the exact value of the disk harrow, but the machine is 

 used in practically all of our Station farm work and from con- 

 tinued use we know something of its especial value in farm 

 work. In Western Oregon its greatest value is in preparing a 

 seed bed; following the plow in the spring we nearly 

 always use the common drag harrow and after this the disk 

 harrow, lapping as we go round with this machine, making it a 

 double disking. This generally is sufficient to prepare the grain 

 land for the drill or, w r here a more finely pulverized seed bed is 

 required for the sowing of small seed, perhaps one or two har- 

 rowings with the common drag harrow will complete the work. 

 Often on very tough, soddy and cloddy ground the disk harrow 

 is used more than once and some form of clod crusher also. 



Another excellent use of the disk harrow is in disking up 

 stubble in the fall and carrying the ground through the winter 

 in good shape. The cutting of the stubble with the disk and 

 working up of the surface causes the decay of the organic mat- 

 ter and also a greater absorption of the winter's precipitation, 

 preventing to a considerable extent surface washing and aiding 

 in holding the snow. The ground disked in the fall is always, 

 as a rule, better prepared for plowing in the spring, no crust 

 having been formed and thus fewer clods being turned under in 

 plowing, so that a better union between the seed bed and the 

 ground underneath is effected. 



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