METHODS OF PLOWING 119 



The way in which the surface is left by a plow 

 depends chiefly upon the style of the mouldboard 

 that is used; the bolder or more overhanging it is 

 the more completely is the furrow-slice broken. 

 An overhanging mouldboard prevents the furrow- 

 slice from turning flat and leaves it rough. A 

 rolling furrow-slice buries herbage and trash about 

 as well as a flat one if a jointer is used; and it 

 crumbles the soil much better. A plow that turns 

 this kind of furrow is the best for most conditions. 

 Flat-furrow plowing is the handsomest but the 

 poorest plowing, in most cases. The soil is not 

 crumbled and, what is even more important, the 

 least amount of surface is exposed to the air. It is 

 also more difficult for the harrow teeth to take hold 

 of the tips of these slices and break them without 

 distributing the sod or herbage beneath. But 

 flat-furrow plowing covers trash and herbage 

 better than the other types of plowing, so 

 that it may often be used to advantage for 

 plowing stubble land, especially if it is fairly 

 light. 



Lap-furrow plowing, in which the furrow-slice 

 is only partly inverted, being left on edge and par- 

 tially overlapping the preceding furrow-slice, 

 leaves the soil fairly well pulverised and with a 

 ridge surface so that it is easily mellowed and fined 

 by the harrow, but it does not bury trash or herb- 

 age well. It is especially valuable for fall plowing, 

 particularly of clayey soils, as it leaves many air 

 spaces beneath the furrow-slice and the soil is fully 

 exposed to weathering. 



It is well worth while to have two or three types 

 of plows on hand and use each acording to the 

 results it accomplishes and the purpose m view. 

 This costs more, but greater efficiency results. 



