TILLAGE TOOLS: WHAT THEY ARE FOR 187 



In the third place, the effective plow must pulverize the 

 furrow slice turned out. Turning the land is not enough ; 

 the soil must be broken, fined, and mellowed. We get 

 these results by means of the sharp, bold curve that is 

 given the moldboard. A plow that does not thoroughly 

 pulverize the soil is a poor plow. It may make a hand- 

 some furrow, cover the ground well, plunge far into 

 the ground, and still do poor plowing: unless it leaves 

 the soil in so friable a condition that the other tillage tools 

 can easily and economically do their part, it has fallen 

 short of its duty. 



Aim to get a furrow slice that is set well on edge, with 

 a snap as it comes from the moldboard. This is the sort 

 that the harrow uses best for completing the bed for 

 seeds. 



In addition to plowing in order to get a pulverized, 

 deep, warm, moisture-holding plant bed, we must plow 

 with a view to bettering the physical condition of the 

 land. Hence, we should aim to get deep and uniform 

 plowing done in every field. 



An example of poor plowing. Recently. I stood at one 

 place in a ncwlv plowed field and counted fifty-eight 

 places left unplowed, because the plowman had carelessly 

 let his plow jump out of the ground. This was not only 

 poor plowing, but it showed that the plow-holder was 

 ignorant of one of the first principles of tillage namely, 

 that plowing releases plant food stored in the soil. The 

 places skipped by the plow, then, even if the seeds germi- 

 nated in them, would have less plant food to furnish the 

 crops on them, than the plowed portions on the same field 

 have. \Yhy? Re-cause the roots get in another manner 

 all the products in the storehouse. 



The subsoil plow: the work it has to do. In this work 

 of rendering plant food available, the subsoil plow is espe- 



