136 SOILS 



it may take several years to mellow. There is 

 always a tendency to plow heavy soils too early, 

 when they are wet, since early plowing means so 

 much to the success of the grains which thrive 

 best upon these soils. On the other hand, it is 

 equally unprofitable to plow when the soil is very 

 dry, as such a soil is likely to be puddled by rains 

 when the lumps have been pulverised by the 

 harrow. In both fall and spring plowing it is al- 

 ways better to plow a week or more before seeding 

 so as to allow the loose soil to settle, thus increasing 

 its ability to supply film water to the seed. 



WHEN PLOWING IS DISPENSED WITH 



In a few sections of the country, especially in the 

 Southeastern States, some farmers have a way of 

 plowing only one or more furrows where each row 

 is to be. The crop is then planted and the ground 

 between the rows is plowed later. This " breaking 

 out the middles" is a back-handed way of 

 plowing, for the soil cannot be plowed and fitted 

 nearly as conveniently and thoroughly after the 

 crop is started as when the land is unoccupied. 

 The only excuse for this practice is a rush of work 

 at planting time, and it is doubtful if even this 

 ought to be valid. 



There are occasions when it is best not to plow 

 at all. If a mellow seed bed can be prepared readi- 

 ly without plowing, and the surface soil is plenty 

 rich enough, the land may be simply harrowed 

 deeply in the spring and sown to the grains, which 

 prefer a compact soil beneath the surface. Farmers 

 m the prairie states sometimes follow this plan. 

 Sometimes land from which beans or other crops 

 have been removed is harrowed in preparation for 



